


The Legend of Ed: Majora's Mask

by LordSiravant



Category: Ed Edd n Eddy, Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-11
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2017-12-29 02:23:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/999741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordSiravant/pseuds/LordSiravant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Kankers screw up the Eds' latest scam, Edd and Marie somehow find themselves warped to another world entirely. To make matters worse, the world is about to end, and they've been turned into talking plants! Things only get more complicated when the rest of the Eds and Kankers get caught up in this crazy world. Now the Eds and their infamous tormentors must join forces with a weird elf kid named Link to stop the moon from destroying the world of Termina. Easier said than done, when the Eds and Kankers are busy aggravating one another ceaselessly. But will something more than animosity bloom between the Eds and Kankers over the course of this strange Edventure? Only time will tell. Rated T for typical EEnE humor, action violence, some cursing, and some sexual themes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gateways

**Chapter One: Gateways**

 

In ancient legends long forgotten, it was said that there existed in secluded parts of the world gateways to other realms, meant to be hidden from unworthy eyes. These worlds bore gateways as well, linking many different worlds together like a web. For example, there existed a cave on a lonely island leading to the realm of Narnia. In the fabled Bermuda Triangle lay a passage to the world of Middle Earth. Even more secret places existed in the untamed forests. Edd, known to others as Double D, never would have thought something like this to be true. Indeed, he was a boy of science, always wanting to find a scientific explanation for everything that existed in his quiet world.

Edd was a boy of fourteen years, wearing an orange t-shirt, purple shorts, red tube socks, and of course his signature black, sock-like hat that concealed most of his black hair. He was now running through the woods as fast as he could, reflecting on the day’s events as he did so. _Eddy, you and your scams_! Edd thought angrily. _Why didn’t you listen to me when I told you it wouldn’t work_?

The Kankers had found them just as one of Eddy’s scams had gone awry. Desperate to escape, Ed, Edd, and Eddy had each run in different directions, with Edd fleeing into the woods beyond the cul-de-sac.

Suddenly he heard a fiendish giggle not far behind him, making his blood run cold. _And worse…the Kankers had to get involved! Stupid, stupid Eddy_!

He looked behind him and saw the person he feared most in the world in hot pursuit, smiling devilishly as she closed in on him. It was none other than Marie Kanker, the crazed girl who harbored a fierce crush on him and would never leave him alone. Her blue hair swayed in the wind as she ran with her arms outstretched. Edd could already see the blood-red nail polish on her fingers. “Gah!” Edd yelped as he tried to pick up the pace, to little avail.

Suddenly, as Marie managed to grab onto his collar, Edd tripped on a log, sending both of them tumbling down a hill. They spun right into a large, hollowed-out log and suddenly disappeared from view. Without knowing it, they had done what no other human had done for decades: they had stumbled into one of the fabled gateways and left their world behind.

XXXXXXX

When the two of them finally came to a stop, both of them moaned slightly, as their bodies ached all over. Marie came to her senses first and crawled over to Edd. “Hee hee, looks like it’s time for some lovin’, don’t ya think, cutie?” she cooed.

As dazed as he was, Edd was aware that he was about to receive his daily Kanker torture. He gritted his teeth and waited for the sloppy kisses to come. Instead, he heard Marie utter a startled gasp, followed by a thud. Edd blinked in surprise as he noticed Marie laying next to him, unconscious. A pony was standing over her. Before he could look up, Edd saw a truly strange sight. A small, scarecrow-like creature jumped off the horse and sauntered over to Marie’s still form. As Edd lifted his gaze upwards, he noticed that the creature was wearing a mask.

The very moment he laid eyes on the mask, Edd felt a chill crawl up his spine. The mask was heart-shaped, mostly purple and red, with two green spikes on top and four running along each side. But the worst part was the eyes. They were huge and evil-looking, looking like they were capable of burning into a man’s soul. Weirder still, Edd saw two glowing balls of light, one yellow, the other maroon, each with two pairs of insect-like wings hovering over the masked creature. “Well, well, we got quite a catch today!” the masked creature said with excitement.

Edd was surprised by how child-like its voice sounded. “Let’s see what they got, Skull Kid!” the yellow fairy chimed with a clearly feminine voice.

The creature called “Skull Kid” started rummaging around Marie’s body, searching through her pockets as if he thought he might find something valuable in them. Finally Skull Kid threw up his hands and said, “Aw, she’s got nuthin’. How about this guy?”

Edd remained perfectly still as Skull Kid walked over to him and started searching his person as well. Suddenly he heard Skull Kid utter an excited laugh and felt his treasured hat pulled from his head. He had to fight the urge to cry out and grab it back, but barely managed to stay calm and still. “What a cool-looking hat!” the maroon fairy cried as Skull Kid looked at it. “Let me try it on!”

“No, Tael!” the yellow fairy answered. “It’s way too big for you!”

“Aw, but sis…” ‘Tael’ whined.

Meanwhile, Skull Kid had taken his straw hat off and replaced it with Edd’s beanie. “Mmm, nice and comfy!” he giggled. “I think I’ll keep it!”

Suddenly a voice rang out that made Skull Kid stand perfectly straight up. “Skull Kid! Where are you?! Gimme back my horse and ocarina!”

“Aw, crud,” Skull Kid muttered before putting his straw hat back on over Edd’s beanie and jumping back on the horse.

Edd finally decided to stop playing dead and sprang up. “Give me back my hat!” he yelled as threateningly as he could.

However, the Skull Kid just laughed and spanked the horse’s behind, sending it running. Edd was not fast enough to catch up and was left in the dust. He was about to continue forward, but then realized something. Marie was still laying unconscious by the large log they had fallen out of. He wanted to run in case she woke up, but then again, it went against his nature to leave someone alone like that… _even if she is a Kanker_ , Edd mused as he turned around and ran to her side.

He knelt down by her side. “M…Marie?” he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder.

Suddenly she began to stir, putting a hand to the back of her head where the Skull Kid had hit her. “Oww…What the heck happened?” she muttered groggily.

“We were…blindsided by some kid with a mask,” Edd stuttered, scared of how she might react to noticing he was still there.

Instead, she did something worse. She looked up and saw what was on his head. “D…Double D? What happened to your head?!” she whispered in shock.

Edd gasped and realized she had seen what his beanie had hidden from others for years, and he quickly covered the offending area with his left hand. “Nothing…It’s nothing!” he replied. “T-that’s not important right now! A kid with a mask stole my hat and I need to get it back!”

“A kid with a mask? You saw him? Where’d he go?” a voice suddenly said.

Edd turned around and saw a boy dressed in green clothing and a green hat staring down at them. His hair was blond, his eyes blue, and, despite looking younger than Edd, had a sword and shield strapped to his back. But the weirdest thing about him was the fact that his ears tapered to a point just like an elf’s.

“Erhm…” Edd began. “He took off that way.”

Edd pointed off towards where he had seen the Skull Kid escape. “He stole my hat too. I need it back.”

“Why are we wasting time then?” the boy responded. “Let’s go!”

Edd and Marie glanced at each other before deciding to follow the green-clad boy deeper into the woods. Soon they came across several tree stumps set up like stepping stones that led to another hollowed-out log. These the three of them crossed easily, and they all ran into the log. Too late did they notice the sudden drop-off before them, and they all went tumbling down the hole. “OH GOOD LORD WE’RE GOING TO DIE WE’RE GOING TO…huh?” Edd yelled before noticing what was passing by his line of vision.

Colored outlines of clocks, an ocarina, and that freaky heart-shaped mask all flew by as they continued to fall. Finally they all landed, one by one, on a strange flower with pink petals that broke their fall. “Oof!” each of them grunted as they fell.

They each rolled into a large puddle of water. Edd yelped as he jumped up. “Ah! Who knows what kinds of bacteria are in this water? Filthy, filthy, filthy…”

As the other two stood up, there was a clicking noise, and suddenly two spotlights were shining in their faces. They looked up when they heard a child’s laugh and saw the Skull Kid hovering in the air in a leisurely manner. He first addressed the boy in green. “Hey, what’s with that horse of yours? It doesn’t listen to a word that’s said to it! There’s no point in having such a useless pet, so I did you a favor and got rid of it.”

The boy’s face suddenly went livid as he feared what the Skull Kid had done. “Aw, boo hoo, why the sad face? I just wanted to have a little fun with you…” the Skull Kid taunted.

“You…you think this is funny?” the boy answered through gritted teeth. “You better pray Epona’s safe or I’ll…”

“You’ll _what_?” Skull Kid sneered.

“Ahem…pardon me,” Edd suddenly spoke up rather timidly. He flinched as the Skull Kid looked at him through that mask’s horribly unnerving eyes. “I don’t want to be rude, but you have my hat, and I’d like it back…please?”

The Skull Kid cocked his head for a moment before he suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. “Oh, but where would the fun in that be?”

Suddenly the Skull Kid leaned forward, and said in a very disturbing tone, “If you’d like to only have one scar on your head, I suggest you shut up.”

Edd gulped and put a hand on his head where the aforementioned scar was located. Marie, however, narrowed her visible eye and stepped forward. “Don’t you talk to my man like that, ya little twerp!”

“Ya know what? This is gettin’ boring,” the Skull Kid responded. “I’m gettin’ tired of your whining, and especially of looking at your dumb faces!”

Suddenly the Skull Kid began shaking his head, and the mask’s eyes lit up, sending an aura of strange energy at Edd, Marie, and the boy. Suddenly the three of them saw only darkness, but they could distinctly hear something echoing in the shadows. Edd whipped around, scared out of his wits. Even Marie looked uneasy. The elf boy furrowed his brow and drew his sword. “Stay close to me, guys,” he said in a grave tone.

The noise steadily began to intensify. It sounded like grass and wood grating against one another, and soon it was so loud the three of them had to cover their ears. It was then that they noticed the creatures that had surrounded them. They looked like they were made of wood, with mouths like tubes and leaves for hair. Their glowing eyes bore into their victims. “Deku!” the boy shouted. “Run!”

They managed to break through the crowd of Deku and kept running. But the sound did not stop, and suddenly they saw a huge Deku looming over them. Then everything went dark again. The three of them opened their eyes, feeling groggy. When they all stood up, they each noticed something terribly wrong. Did they suddenly seem…shorter? Then they looked at each other, then themselves. They looked just like the Deku, except they were still wearing some of their clothes and their hair was still intact. The boy’s weapons were now all gone. “GAAHHH! What…what happened to me?” Edd managed to yell, though his voice now seemed strange. It was much higher in pitch and had a wooden feel to it.

“What happened to _us_?!” Marie answered, her voice sounding just as strange.

The boy looked at his Deku reflection in the water. “This can’t be happening,” he muttered in horror. “Good Goddesses, this can’t be happening!”

They were all suddenly brought to their senses by a loud cackle from the Skull Kid, who was pointing at them and laughing his head off as if their predicament were the funniest joke in the world. “Haha! That’s a good look for you three! You can stay like that here, forever!”

Suddenly a large stone door slid open behind the Skull Kid, and he began floating towards it, with his two fairies in tow. “Oh, no you don’t!” Marie cried angrily as she rushed forward.

Seeing her, the yellow fairy turned around and hit her hard enough to knock her over. However, she spent too much time, and Tael, noticing his sister, managed to scream, “Tatl!” before the door suddenly slammed shut.

Tatl turned around and shrieked in horror as she realized what had happened. She flew towards the door and screamed, “Skull Kid! Tael! Wait, don’t leave me here!”

She slammed into the door several times, but her small frame made such an effort futile. Her wings began to sink in despair before she realized something. She whirled around and glared at the three Deku children. “You three! If I hadn’t gotten distracted by you, I wouldn’t have been separated from my brother!”

“Wait, you’re blaming this on us?!” Marie yelled angrily. “You were the one who helped that little punk turn us into… _this_!”

“I concur,” Edd added, equally upset. “You helped him rob us blind, and possibly commit an act of cruelty to animals! And then you let him turn us into walking, talking plants! How in the Sam Hill makes that OUR fault?!”

Even Marie was surprised by the forcefulness of Edd’s words. Never had she seen him so angry. She honestly didn’t know whether to be turned on or frightened. Then it was the boy’s turn to speak. “All that stuff put aside, if you want our help in reuniting you with your brother, you better help us find that Skull Kid.”

“Fine, whatever. I will. Just open this door!” Tatl yelled.

As the boy walked forward, he turned to his two new companions. “By the way, my name’s Link.”

“Oh! I’m…uh, Edd. My friends call me Double D.”

“Name’s Marie Kanker.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m Tatl, nice to meet you, let’s go.”

The three icy glares she received made her shut right up. Link opened the stone door and led the way through. It wasn’t long before they came across a vast chasm, where several platforms were situated. Each platform was adorned with a single flower exactly like the one they had first landed on. Another flower sat right in front of them. “Why do I get the feeling these flowers are important?” Edd mused.

“Maybe that’s proof your brain works,” Tatl answered. “These are Deku flowers. What you do is stand over that hole in the center and burrow into them. When you jump out, you’ll be holding onto two petals that will allow you to fly for a short time.”

Edd stepped gingerly onto the flower. “How on earth do you attempt such aaaAAAGGHH!” he yelled as his little form burrowed into the center of the flower. “Where am I? It’s dark!” came his muffled response.

“Now jump out!” Tatl yelled in annoyance.

A few seconds later, Edd sprang out of the Deku flower, holding onto two flowers that began spinning like helicopter blades. “I…Intriguing…” Edd muttered as the flowers managed to get him to the next platform.

“Now do the same for the rest of them!” Tatl ordered. “You’re next!” she directed at Link and Marie.

Marie glared at the fairy before glancing at Link. Link gestured towards the flower. “Ladies first,” he replied.

Marie smirked before stepping onto the flower to do the same as her ‘boyfriend’ had done. Once she was airborne, Link did the same, and they island-hopped all the way across until they reached the other side. As they all met up, they noticed Edd was staring at something. “What is it?” Marie questioned.

“I…don’t know,” came Edd’s reply.

He was staring at a tree of some kind. It almost looked like a Deku, but there was no life to it. Its face was distorted, and its branches stretched out in a way to portray a sense of agony. “It looks so…sad,” Tatl answered quietly as she looked at the little tree.

“We…should really go,” Link said, feeling unnerved by the sheer pain the tree seemed to have been in.

They continued walking forward, finding themselves in a strange hallway. The whole way across was spiraled, and as they walked, the walls spiraled around them. They couldn’t tell if it was an illusion or whether they were really walking on the ceiling. They reached the other side and heard the unmistakable sounds of gears grinding and water flowing. As they walked forward, a door suddenly slammed behind them, trapping them in this new room.

They all cried out with surprise and tried to lift the door open. However, it refused to budge. Finally giving up, Link slumped against the door for a moment and said, “Well, it looks like we have no choice but to go forward now.”

The four companions then decided to take in their surroundings. The room was dark, but there was enough light for the most important features to be seen. A large pair of gears attached to a spinning beam spun like clockwork in front of them, powered by a river running past them. There was a small wooden bridge that led to the other side, and the group crossed it and went up a small flight of stairs and saw a wooden door ahead of them. There was light shining through from the other side. “I wonder what’s on the other side of that door,” Edd whispered almost to himself as they approached, but before they could, they heard a rather unsettling laugh from behind. 

“You’ve all met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”

The four of them spun around in unison to see the owner of the voice, and noticed a man walk out of the shadows. He wore purple clothes and a huge sack on his back that displayed numerous masks. The man’s red hair was parted neatly in the center of his head, and his face bore a deceptively genial smile. “Who are you?” Link asked firmly, forgetting for a moment he no longer had his sword.

“Why, don’t you recognize me, Link?” the man answered. “Don’t you remember the masks I had you sell about a year ago?”

Link put a hand on his chin and thought for a moment. Then it suddenly dawned on him. “Wait…you can’t be…”

“Who else could I be? I’m the Happy Mask Salesman.”

“But I…thought you had set up shop in Hyrule…Why are you here?”

“Ho hoho, dear boy, a salesman never stays in one place too long if he wants to sell his wares to all kinds of people. Do forgive me, but I’ve been following you and your friends here for a little while.”

“So you’re a stalker too?” Marie queried with an unamused glare.

“Oh ho ho, quite the contrary, young miss! You see, I’ve been following you all for a reason. Perhaps you remember the little Skull Kid who made off with your ocarina not too long ago, Link?”

“Yeah, I do,” Link replied tersely.

“He also decided to steal my hat too,” Edd added. “As you can understandably tell, I’m not happy.”

The salesman seemed to understand when Edd pointed to the reason behind his hat. “Well, to tell you the truth, he stole something of mine as well.”

“Wait, let me guess,” Edd interrupted. “Heart-shaped purple and red mask with glowing eyes of doom?”

“Yes, quite right,” the salesman replied.

Nobody paid attention to Tatl as she tried to make herself inconspicuous behind Link’s shoulder. “I also happen to know how to revert the spell cast upon you by the Skull Kid,” the salesman finished.

Everyone’s ears perked up at this. “How? Tell us!” Marie begged.

“First, Link must return to me with his ocarina. I suggest you come back with him if you want it to work on you as well.”

Edd, Marie, and Link all nodded their heads in unison. “But you must understand,” the salesman said, and his eyes went from being docile to almost mad. The smile, however, didn’t change, making his new expression even more sinister. “I am a man with a busy schedule, and I must leave here in exactly three days’ time. You must get the ocarina and the mask the Skull Kid stole from me back and return here at once. Do you understand?”

The three of them nodded their heads frantically, convinced the salesman was a madman. “We should really go,” Tatl said from behind Link’s shoulder.

“Agreed,” Link murmured.

They turned around towards the wooden door and stepped towards it. “Good luck, you three,” the Happy Mask Salesman said happily.

They all looked at one another, and after taking a deep breath, pushed open the door and walked into the light.


	2. Clock Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edd, Marie, and Link find themselves hopelessly lost in a strange town. They go to a Great Fairy to seek help, only to discover the Skull Kid has gotten to her first.

**Chapter Two: Clock Town**

 

(Dawn of the First Day, 6:00 am, 72 hours remain)

The sight that greeted them was nothing short of surprising. They had entered a town set seemingly in the medieval ages, with people going about their daily business here and there, and some burly men apparently working on constructing a wooden tower in the middle of the square. A man with a square jaw and short gray hair was busy ordering them around. “Hurry up, all of you! We only got three days before the carnival!”

The group of baleful polymorphs couldn’t help but listen in on the following conversation as one of the workers walked past his boss. “Boss, I really think we should flee…” the man began before he was sharply cut off.

“YOU IDIOT!” the boss roared. “Don’t believe those silly rumors! The carnival’s gonna go on like always! Get back to work!”

“Rumors…?” Link muttered almost to himself.

“So where are we going to find the Skull Kid?” Edd asked Tatl.

“I don’t know!” she answered. The others looked at her murderously, to which she replied nervously, “But…um, I know someone w-who might know!”

“Please, enlighten us,” Edd responded.

“The Great Fairy who lives in North Clock Town! She should know!”

“Wait…Great…Fairy?” Edd said, disbelieving. “There’s no such thing as…”

“Do I _look_ like a figment of your imagination?”

“But I…no, I guess not.”

Truthfully, Edd didn’t know what to believe anymore. He had believed all his life that everything could be proven by science, that magic and fairies and monsters didn’t exist. Now here he was in a foreign town in a foreign land stuck with an elf kid, a fairy, and worst of all, _Marie Kanker_ , and all of them were currently talking plants. _I wonder if Ed and Eddy will come looking for me_ , Edd thought to himself. _And with Marie here too, what’s to stop her sisters from looking for her too? And if the others got involved…Sarah would probably try to find Ed, Jimmy would just blindly follow her, Nazz would go too because she can’t stand the idea of kids going places by themselves, Kevin would go with her because he likes her, Rolf would join because he likes adventure, and Jonny will come because he’s…well, Jonny_.

Edd sighed and pinched his forehead. He really missed his hat, and these thoughts about the other kids back in the cul-de-sac did nothing to ease his tension. Marie turned his way and couldn’t help but glance at the scar. It was an ugly thing, a long white line completely bereft of hair that ran down the side of his forehead down to his ear. “Double D…you…alright?” she asked.

On any other day she would have just wrapped her arms around him and planted kisses while he cried in terror, but this wasn’t any other day. Everything had gone topsy-turvy, and here she was in some bizarro alternate universe with people straight out of a cliché fairy tale. And there was something about this whole thing that made her feel uneasy, a sense of foreboding that loomed over her like a cloud. The only ease she got from this whole mess they were in was that she was in it with Edd. As she glanced once more at Edd’s scar, she thought, _If only I knew how he got that. It seems to trouble him a lot_ …

Edd looked up at her, and for once his eyes didn’t look like they were about to pop out of their sockets in fright. “I’m just…thinking about the others. With me gone, my friends will probably start looking for me, and your sisters are probably going to start looking for you as well. It makes me ill to think that they might find their way here and get wrapped up in this mess as well.”

Marie found herself wondering the same thing. She always fought with her sisters, but they did care for one another and stood by each other through thick and thin. She was sure they’d tear up the forest looking for her. _Hell, the Eds might even let them come just because they’re both missing a teammate_ , Marie thought wryly.

Suddenly they were all brought back to reality by a low growl. All three Deku looked ahead and saw a dog, a large terrier to be exact, growling angrily at them. Because of their small stature, the dog was as big as they were. And worse, they were weaponless. “Umm…any ideas, Link?” Edd stuttered as sweat started dripping down his forehead.

“… _Run_.”

“Gyaahh!” they all cried as they turned and ran up one of the ramps with the dog close behind.

“Oh dear oh dear oh dear!” Edd yelled as he tried to run as quickly as he could.

Sadly, his human form was lackluster enough. His current Deku form made his running no quicker than a normal stride. The dog was catching up fast. The others weren’t faring much better, as they were only barely running faster than Edd was. Suddenly, Edd tripped over his own two feet and fell face-first to the ground. “Gahhh! Help!” he cried in terror as the dog came close.

Hearing his voice, Marie suddenly spun on her heel and ran towards him. Seeing her do this, Link skidded to a halt as well. The dog was growling fiercely at Edd, who was too scared to move. As it prepared to pounce, he suddenly heard Marie cry out from behind him, “Hey, get away from my man, you mangy mutt!”

The dog looked up in time to see Marie’s boot collide with its snout. The dog yelped and jumped back, shaking its head and glaring at Marie. The middle Kanker sister pointed at the dog in a way that actually made her look menacing. “Bad dog! Go on now, get!”

The dog, visibly terrified that its prey bit back, turned tail and fled back the way it came, yipping all the way. She made sure the dog was gone before she turned to Edd, who was just staring at her in shock. “What?” she asked. “You think I’d let some stupid mutt make a chew toy outta you?”

She offered him a hand to help him up. After a moment’s hesitation, Edd took it and pulled himself up. He looked at her, and couldn’t help but blush as he said, “Um…thanks, Marie.”

“Ahem,” came Link’s voice from off to the side.

They both looked at him. “You got guts, Marie,” Link continued. “You remind me of a friend of mine. She’s a real tomboy, kinda gets her in trouble a lot.”

Marie smirked. “I like her already.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, come on, let’s go!” Tatl cried in exasperation.

“Ah, right, right,” Edd coughed.

Without another word, they followed Tatl towards North Clock Town. To get there, they had to go through East Clock Town, and as they entered the vicinity, they noticed a pair of men who looked identical to each other save for one wearing red and the other blue who were partaking in a two-man juggling act and dancing as they did so. They all marveled at them for a moment before the red-shirt spoke. “Funny things are happening, aren’t they? Funny, funny.”

“You’re telling me! Have you seen the moon? Its face used to be so happy and blue-eyed, but now it’s so big and red-eyed and angry!”

“And that’s not the only thing! Stuff’s been going on in the swamp too! Did you hear about the kidnapping?”

“Oh my! The kidnapping?”

“Yep! But then the kid woke up! Haha, get it?”

“Oh ho hohohoho!”

The two men didn’t break stride once, but that wasn’t what the Deku kids were focusing on at the moment. “What did he mean with the moon?” Edd asked, confused.

They then decided to look up, and were astonished by what they saw. High above the Clock Tower, but far closer than it was supposed to be, was the moon. “GOOD LORD!” Edd exclaimed, horrified. “As close as it is, there’s no way the moon can hold its trajectory without succumbing to the laws of gravity! It’s…it’s going to fall!”

The others could only look on in horror at the moon that loomed above them. What was worse was the fact that there was a face plastered on the moon’s surface, and that face was contorted into an almost manic grimace. Its eyes were disturbingly similar to the eyes of the Skull Kid’s mask. “I…I hope the Great Fairy knows what’s going on…” Tatl whimpered. “C-come on. We should probably hurry.”

They all swallowed before heading into North Clock Town, which was strangely empty save for a slide in the corner, a dead tree, a fence, and a ramp leading towards a cave. “This way,” Tatl said, heading towards the cave. The others dutifully followed and watched as she disappeared inside.

They were almost there when they heard Tatl scream in horror. Startled, they ran inside and saw a fountain of some kind. There were marble pillars connected together at the top, and water ran down the walls from above and sank into a puddle on the ground. But that wasn’t what caught their attention. Tatl was floating there, visibly shaken, as she stared at a group of strange creatures with wings on their heads that weren’t much bigger than a normal fairy. “G…Great Fairy…” Tatl stuttered. “What…happened to you?”

As the three Deku kids caught up with her, all the glowing creatures spoke as one. “Oh, kind young ones. Oh, Tatl…Thank goodness you are here. My form was shattered by the masked Skull Kid, and one of my parts has wandered off into the town. If I am to reform, the stray fairy must be brought back here with all due haste…”

“Whoa…” Edd gasped. “The Skull Kid did this to you? How?!”

“It was that accursed mask of his…Such an item of wicked power is not meant for a child’s hands…Please, bring back the Stray Fairy wandering around Clock Town, and I will help you on your quest.”

“We will,” Link assured her. “Come on, guys. We’ve got a stray fairy to find.”

“D-don’t worry, Great Fairy!” Tatl added. “We’ll fix you up!”

They then left the cave. Once on the other side, Link turned around to face his companions. “Okay, if we split up, we can cover a lot more ground more quickly. Tatl and I will search East Clock Town. Marie, you look around West Clock Town, and Edd, you’ll cover South Clock Town. Everyone understand the plan?”

They all nodded to one another and split up to go search.


	3. Back at Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Eddy grow worried for their missing friend. Meanwhile Lee and May wonder what has become of their missing sister. Both groups reluctantly work together to find their missing teammates, having no idea of what they're getting into.

**Chapter Three: Back At Home**

 

It had been a long day for Ed and Eddy. Their scam had failed, the cul-de-sac kids were angry, and worst of all, the Kankers had found them just as they were escaping. Much torture had been had, and both of them had emerged from the Kankers’ hiding spots covered with kisses. As they met in the middle of the street, Eddy glowered at his dim-witted friend Ed and said, “So what’d May do to you, Lumpy?”

“DON’T MAKE ME THINK ABOUT IT, EDDY!” Ed exclaimed with tears in his eyes.

Eddy then decided he was better off not knowing and started wiping the lipstick off his face. As he did so, Ed looked around worriedly. “Eddy, I don’t see Double D anywhere,” he proclaimed a little too loudly.

Eddy looked from his scrubbing and shrugged. “Eh, probably got lost in the woods. He’ll find his way out eventually. I’m headin’ home to take a shower. If he ain’t home tomorrow mornin’, we’ll go find ‘im.”

Ed was still worried for his friend, but he nodded his head glumly. “See you tomorrow, Lumpy,” Eddy said, waving his hand towards Ed. “I’ll think of another scam tonight in case Double D comes back.”

With that, the two Ed Boys parted ways for the day.

XXXXXX

Lee Kanker was growing worried. It was almost 7 pm and Marie still hadn’t come home yet. She never missed dinner. May watched her red-haired sister pace around the room. Their mother was currently spending the night over at a friend’s house (or rather a man who hadn’t yet reached boyfriend status) and they didn’t have a phone, so their mother was completely unaware of the situation. “Don’t worry, Lee,” May assured her. “Marie’s probably just spendin’ some extra time with her man.”

Lee stopped pacing and glared at her blond-haired, somewhat-spacey sister. Though her hair hid her eyes, it was obvious she wasn’t happy. “Marie doesn’t miss dinner for nothin’. Not even Double D. She always meets us back after we have our fun with our boys. This is totally unlike her an’ ya know it, May!”

“Uh, well, maybe she just got a little lost in the woods,” May countered timidly. “They’re not that big, so she’ll find her way out eventually. Besides, she’s tough. She can handle herself!”

“I don’t care how tough she is! I’m still worried for her! Remember the incident with her old man?”

May looked away as she recalled the aforementioned incident. It was something the other Kankers never discussed when Marie was around. “Lee…you don’t think…he may have come back for her…do ya?” May asked worriedly.

Lee sighed. “Nah, that’s impossible. That douche’ll be behind bars for another ten years before he’ll ever see the light o’ day.”

May didn’t really know what else to say. She wasn’t the best at comforting words, and she knew they never helped her sister. This had never happened before, and truthfully, she was really scared for Marie. “Maybe…she’ll be back tomorrow morning,” she tried to assure Lee.

Lee crossed her arms. “If she ain’t back by tomorrow mornin’, we’re goin’ lookin’ for her.”

XXXXXX

Not long after the sun had risen the following day, Eddy was already up and ready to discuss his newest scam with his two pals. He had a large piece of paper rolled up in his hand as he barged into Ed’s house. As usual, Ed’s mom was gone at work and Sarah was off at Jimmy’s. “Hey, Lumpy!” Eddy shouted into the seemingly-empty house. “Come on! Let’s get Double D! I got a new scam that’s sure to work!”

Surprisingly, there was no response. The house was eerily quiet. There were no crashing noises or animalistic squeals that heralded the arrival of quite possibly the dumbest kid in the cul-de-sac. “Hmmp, probably already at Double D’s,” Eddy muttered before slamming the door shut and striding over to Edd’s house. When he reached Edd’s lawn, he noticed that the front door was ajar. Shrugging his shoulders, Eddy pushed it open and yelled, “Hey Lumpy! Sockhead! Get your butts down here, I got a new scam!”

Then he noticed somebody standing in front of Edd’s fridge, rooting through the perishable goods stored inside. He was tall and wore a ratty, green jacket. His head was covered with short, coarse blonde hair. Eddy sighed. “Hey, Ed! Look alive, will ya?”

Ed turned around to reveal his mouth full of food. “Hiya, Eddy!” Ed managed to speak through a mouthful of food.

“Ed, that’s pretty rude of you to be rootin’ through other people’s fridges,” Eddy said. “Anyway, is Double D here?”

At the mention of their missing friend, Ed’s face fell as he swallowed. “No, Eddy. I haven’t seen him anywhere.”

“Yer kiddin’ me, right?” Eddy muttered irritably. “What’d Marie do, _eat_ him?!”

He immediately regretted suggesting that as Ed suddenly wrapped his arms around Eddy and started yelling, “Oh no, Eddy! What if he was eaten by the mud people from Mars?!”

“Let me go, ya big oaf!” Eddy gasped.

Ed did so, and Eddy brushed himself off. “There’s no such thing as mud people from Mars! He probably just got stuck in the woods is all. I say we go look for ‘em. I want to pull off my new scam before the end of the week.”

Ed brightened up immediately. “Let us go, then! To adventure!”

XXXXXX

Marie still wasn’t back when the Kankers woke up the next morning. By now, May was in tears, and although Lee wouldn’t admit it, she too was almost scared to death. She didn’t want to think about what might have happened to her younger sister, for fear she might shed tears as well. But she had to stay strong and keep her cool, for May’s sake. “Alright, that’s it,” she finally said. “We’re goin’ to the woods to find Marie.”

May nodded as she wiped the tears from her face. “Hurry up and get dressed,” Lee finished.

XXXXXXX

The woods were quiet and peaceful as usual. Birds sang in the treetops as Ed and Eddy navigated their way through the undergrowth. Luckily for Eddy, he had found a trail that looked like it had been left behind by a person running, and the two of them were currently following it. Eddy kept a close eye on it as they were led deeper into the woods. Suddenly he was startled out of his quest by a very unwelcome voice from behind. “Got room for two more, dreamboat?”

“ _Kankers_ ,” Eddy growled.

“Kankers!” Ed yelled in terror as he hid behind Eddy.

Indeed there stood May and Lee Kanker, all dressed up to handle the wilderness. However, something was off about them. They weren’t smiling seductively like they usually did when they found the Eds. May looked like she had been crying recently, and Lee’s face was perfectly serious. “Whaddaya want?” Eddy snarled. “Whatever it is, it better not have anything to do with us because we’re a little busy at the mom…”

“Marie’s gone,” Lee interrupted plainly. Eddy was surprised into silence. “She’s been missin’ since yesterday.”

Eddy blinked in surprise before he responded. “Double D’s gone too. He went into the woods and didn’t come out.”

“Same with Marie,” Lee added. “Believe it or not, we’re worried about her. So unless you got a problem, we’re comin’ with ya.”

Eddy thought about it for a moment and finally said, “Fine. But no funny business!”

The four of them then picked up where Eddy had left off and continued through the woods. After about a half-hour of following the trail, they came across a slope that led into a large, hollowed-out log. Strangely enough, they couldn’t see through to the other side. But the trail definitely led inside. Eddy cupped his hands over his moth and yelled, “Hey, Sockhead! Can you hear me? Double D?”

There was no response save for the echo of his own voice. Lee cupped her hands and yelled, “Marie, are ya down there?”

Still no response. Eddy and Lee looked at one another before deciding to proceed down into the makeshift cave to see if they were down there. Ed and May dutifully followed behind, sliding down the ravine until they reached the large log and went inside. They were suddenly covered in darkness as they walked inside. The inside of the tree was much wider than it should have been, and it made Ed and May nervous. “Keep walkin’,” Lee advised.

After about a dozen steps, they appeared through what appeared to be the other side. But something was strange. “Whoa,” Eddy muttered. “I’ve never been to this neck of the woods before.”

“It looks…too different to be our woods,” Lee surmised cautiously.

They all looked around. Sure enough, the trees looked different, and were spaced out more evenly. The ground was perfectly flat. However, the trail continued on directly ahead of them. “Look!” Eddy pointed. “It’s goin’ off in that direction!”

The four of them quickly traversed the path previously taken by their quarry, and were also unaware of the sharp drop-off until it was too late. With a cry of terror, they all tumbled down the large hole, not even noticing the colored outlines that swooped by them. Suddenly they each landed on a strange pink flower one at a time and collapsed into the water. Eddy shook his head and lifted himself to his feet. “Where the heck are we?”

Lee was the first to notice the open door ahead of them. “Let’s go through that,” she suggested.

They walked through the door and found themselves in the chamber with the large chasm and the network of Deku flowers. “How the heck did they even get across that?!” Eddy wondered out loud, scratching his head.

“More importantly, how do _we_ get across?” Lee added.

Eddy turned to Ed. “Lumpy?”

“Got ya, Eddy!” Ed yelled with a big smile before he scooped up Eddy and catapulted him across the chasm, where he landed on the other side.

“So how do we get across, Lee?” May asked.

Lee smirked and glanced at Ed, who, seeming to understand, threw up his hands and yelled, “No! Girl germs!”

“You throw her or I kick you.”

Ed reluctantly swallowed his fear and grabbed hold of a rather pleased May before throwing her to the other side as well. “Now, your turn, flathead!” Lee stated before unceremoniously booting Ed hard enough to get him across as well.

When she was all alone, she took a deep breath, stepped back a few paces, and then ran as hard as she could, leaping across the platforms rather skillfully, reaching the others soon after. Eddy and May were brushing themselves off, and Ed was rubbing his backside. “Let’s go, shall we?” Lee said before leading the way.

They also had to pass through the strange, spiraled hallway, and doing so almost made Eddy feel sick. When they reached the next room, the door, of course, slid shut and would move no further. The four of them shouted in surprise and tried to pry it open, but no such luck. Huffing in annoyance, Eddy turned around and said, “Ah, leave it. Let’s go.”

They took in their surroundings of the inside of the Clock Tower before heading across the bridge and up the stairs. There, standing in one corner of the room, was a man in purple with a large sack slung on his back. He was smiling somewhat disturbingly. “Why hello there, young children,” the man greeted. “I am the Happy Mask Salesman!”

Eddy narrowed his eyes. “Salesman, huh?”

He motioned for everyone to crowd around him. “Okay, salesmen aren’t to be trusted. I would know. So let me do the talkin’.”

They all nodded before breaking apart. Eddy waltzed over to the salesman and said, “So, salesman guy! You seen a guy with an orange shirt and a black sock on his head and a girl with blue hair around here recently?”

“Why yes I have, actually,” the salesman replied warmly. “They passed this way a few hours ago, though they look a little…different now than they did before.”

“What do you mean?” Eddy said, folding his arms.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” the salesman answered. “They left through that door right there.”

“Right…um, thanks,” Eddy said before turning around to look at said door. “C’mon guys, let’s see what’s on the other side.”


	4. Finding the Stray Fairy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edd, Link, Marie, and Tatl seek out the missing stray fairy in order to restore the Great Fairy to normal.

Several hours had already gone by, and Link had no luck finding the stray fairy. There were plenty of places to explore in this section of Clock Town, but none of it seemed to yield what he and Tatl were searching for. As Link patrolled the town square, he glanced up at Tatl. “So, why were you friends with Skull Kid? That seems like a pretty rotten thing for him to do to the Great Fairy.”

“How was I supposed to know he’d go and do something like that?” Tatl shot back. “He was always a prankster, but I never thought he’d go this far, okay? Now just concentrate on finding that stray fairy!”

Link decided to let it slide for now, but he planned on having a little talk with her later about her relationship with the Skull Kid.

XXXXXX

Marie was still getting used to her body as she traipsed around the shopping district of West Clock Town. Or at least, it looked like a shopping district, judging by the people walking around with crude shopping bags. The signs above the stores were in a language she was unfamiliar with, but at least some of them had pictures defining their primary product. She searched all around for any sign of the stray fairy, but she was having no luck either. She had even resorted to asking a pair of dancing twin girls whether they had seen it. She was promptly blown off by them and told to quit bothering them.

Marie sighed in exasperation. _This is getting nowhere_ , she thought. _It’s already been, like, three hours since we got here_.

She folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. _Where could that little thing have gotten off to_?

XXXXXX

Edd searched high and low throughout the day around South Clock Town, but he too had failed to find the stray fairy. He had taken care to avoid the construction work going on in the center of the district during his search, but he was bothered by the fact that the moon was edging ever closer towards the city. He had happened to pick up some snippets of conversations concerning what was going on. Apparently the townsfolk were also aware of the giant chunk of rock, but some didn't believe it would fall, others didn’t _want_ to believe, and those who did were discussing when they would flee and where to.

As he was looking around, Edd suddenly noticed something he hadn’t seen before. There was a set of stairs that led into a little alcove on the far corner of the district. _Maybe the stray fairy’s in there. Only one way to find out_.

Edd hurried along up the stairs and arrived at the town’s laundry pool. It was a small place, with a quaint river running past him into a grating beneath the wall. A wooden bridge led to the other side, where a door was located. A small bell was hanging on a post by the bridge, and a small bench sat off to the side. Edd slowly walked up to the water’s edge and looked down upon his own reflection, gazing at the wooden face staring back at him. “This is unreal,” he whispered to himself, still not wanting to believe that everything that had been happening to him today was real.

Then he saw something else, a glimmer on the water’s surface. There was something above his head, and when Edd looked up, he saw the stray fairy flying about in a confused manner. “Ah! There you are!” Edd said aloud.

The fairy suddenly seemed to notice him and flew towards him. It flitted in front of his face and said, “Oh, kind young one! My form has been shattered by the masked Skull Kid! Please…take me back to the Fairy Fountain in North Clock Town!”

“That’s why I’m here, madam,” Edd answered her as calmly as he could. “Please, follow me.”

The fairy obligingly hovered over Edd’s head as he led her out of the laundry pool back out into South Clock Town. _I’ll look for Link first_ , he thought. _Then we can have Tatl find Marie_.

The Deku boy and the fairy made their way across the district, receiving the occasional odd glance. Walking up the stairs into East Clock Town, Edd immediately caught sight of Link. “Link!” Edd yelled, having his hand to catch Link’s attention. “I found her!”

Link glanced up from the large poster he had been reading and noticed the stray fairy flitting over Edd’s head. “Oh good, you found her,” Link said as he caught up. “Tatl, go find Marie and tell her to meet us at the Fairy Fountain.”

“Fine, whatever,” Tatl droned before flying off.

After she was gone, Link turned to Edd and said, “Alright, let’s take her to the fountain.”

XXXXXX

Marie was still wandering around West Clock Town, though she had somewhat given up on actually searching for the stray fairy, when Tatl found her. Forgetting what her name was, Tatl just blurted out, “Hey, Blue-Hair!”

Marie suddenly looked up and saw the yellow fairy flying towards her. “Oh,” she grunted unenthusiastically. “It’s you.”

“Don’t look too happy to see me,” Tatl answered back just as coldly. “Your germaphobe boyfriend found the stray fairy. We’re meeting them at the fountain.”

“Right on,” Marie responded before taking off towards that destination.

XXXXXX

When they all met up again, it was already approaching late afternoon. As Marie and Tatl caught up with the rest of them, Link looked around and said, “Everybody here?”

“Yep,” Marie surmised.

The three Deku children proceeded back into the Fairy Fountain with their charge, who upon seeing her awaiting brethren, flew over to the others gleefully. As they all approached, the fairy swarm started spinning together and condensing into a single being, until there was a flash of light that almost blinded the visitors, along with a joyous female laugh. From the center of the fountain emerged a young woman with long, flowing red hair and a patchwork of leaves taking the place of clothes. There was heavy makeup around her eyes. The Great Fairy giggled again and leaned forward in the air, gazing at them with warm, gentle eyes.

“Thank you, kind young ones,” she began. “And thank you as well, Tatl. Now my form is once again fully intact. I am the Great Fairy of Magic.”

“Great Fairy…” Tatl interrupted hesitantly. “How…did the Skull Kid…do this to you?”

“The same way he has been troubling all of Termina. It is the mask he wears. It grants him great and terrible power…far too great and terrible for a child to understand and control. It is a story I have not the time nor the place to tell you. The one who knows more about the Heart of Darkness is its last owner, the salesman who waits within the clock tower.”

“Um, excuse me, madam,” Edd interrupted timidly. “We were hoping you might know where we could find the Skull Kid.”

“I’m afraid I do not hold the answer you seek. The Skull Kid’s whereabouts are a mystery to me. There is another way I can help you, though.”

“Really?” Marie asked hopefully.

“As the Great Fairy of Magic, I can grant all three of you the ability to practice magic.”

“Wait…magic?” Edd stuttered. “That…isn’t possible. There’s no such thing as magic!”

“Young Eddward, you are not from this world, am I not correct?”

“Ehrm…that’s right.”

“It saddens me that your world has no magic. It feels like such a…dead place.”

Edd and Marie couldn’t help but glance at each other at the Great Fairy’s words. “But fear not…that does not mean I cannot grant you magic.”

The Great Fairy giggled once more and blew a kiss towards the Deku children. Suddenly a light surrounded the three of them and lifted them up into the air. They were now defying the very laws of gravity, but something about the light seemed to put Edd’s mind at ease. The three of them could all feel a sense of empowerment course through their wooden bodies. Finally they slowly fell back to earth on their feet, and felt rejuvenated. Edd really couldn’t explain how he felt. But it felt good. “King young Eddward, Marie, Link, and Tatl,” the Great Fairy spoke again. “This is all I can do for you for now. My power has waned, and I cannot contact my sisters located throughout Termina. I fear the same fate that befell me has happened to them.”

“So how will we find the Skull Kid?” Link asked.

“The astronomer in East Clock Town should be able to help you. However, the path to his home is protected by a young group of vigilantes, the Bombers Gang. You may have to speak to them about letting you in.”

“Alright,” Marie said, nodding her head.

The Great Fairy smiled at them again. “When battle has made you weary, feel free to see me again.”

With a final laugh, the Great Fairy disappeared into the Fountain. As they turned to leave, Link said, “She said the path to the astronomer was in East Clock Town. I remember seeing a little kid standing in front of an alleyway. It looked like he was trying to keep people from entering. I think that’s where we should go.”

“Well then,” Edd replied. “Lead the way, Link.”


	5. The Eds n Kankers Are Coming To Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed, Eddy, Lee, and May investigate the town they found themselves in, and Eddy immediately begins stirring up trouble. Meanwhile, Edd, Marie, and Link seek out the Bombers Gang in order to speak to the town astronomer, but not all goes as planned.

The moment Eddy laid eyes on the scene in front of him, he couldn’t help but question his sanity. They were inside a rather large town, which was strange, as it shouldn’t have been possible for such a large place to be hidden by the woods of the cul-de-sac. After a rather awkward moment of silence, Eddy stuttered, “Am I imagining stuff, or do those people have pointy ears?”

Lee looked equally confused. “How the hell could a place like this hide so well in the woods?”

Suddenly something clicked in Ed’s head. “Eddy! I know what happened!” he yelled, pointing a finger in the air.

“This should be good,” Eddy muttered.

“We must have walked into a portal in the woods that took us to an alternate dimension!”

“Ed, I’m really not in the mood for your stupidity right…” Eddy began.

“Hold on a sec, flathead may have a point,” Lee interrupted, scratching her chin.

Eddy glared at her as if she had just lost her mind. “Come again?”

“Think about it. That big empty log in the woods. Didn’t you notice how we couldn’t see through to the other side? And when we walked through, we somehow ended up in an unfamiliar part of the woods? And then we started falling and jumping a lot and wound up in this weird town with elf people?”

“That’s just crazy,” Eddy retorted.

“Alright, let’s see you come up with a better explanation, dreamboat!” Lee answered back crossly.

Eddy was silent for a moment. “I…ate a poisoned jawbreaker?”

Lee face palmed and sighed. “Look, if what that weird guy with the smile said is true, then Double D an’ Marie are somewhere in this town. Let’s split up and search for them. Ed, you’re with me. May, you go with Eddy.”

“Wait, so you’re not gonna follow me around and…” Eddy began to say.

“This ain’t the time for distractions,” Lee interrupted. “That’s why I’m goin’ with Ed and you’re goin’ with May.”

“But, Lee, I wanna go with Ed!” May whined.

“That’s exactly why ya ain’t!” Lee answered. “You two go left, an’ Ed and I’ll go right.”

May looked crestfallen but decided to listen to her oldest sister. “Alright, let’s go,” Eddy grumbled, glad that he wasn’t stuck with Lee but disappointed that he was still going with a Kanker.

Ed was relieved he wasn’t going with May, and wasn’t as troubled about going with Lee as Eddy was about May, because he knew very well that Lee wouldn’t try to smother him at inopportune moments. “C’mon, flathead,” Lee ushered, heading off with Ed towards West Clock Town, while Eddy and May went off towards East Clock Town.

XXXXXX

Eddy and May glanced about their surroundings. East Clock Town was an expansive place. There seemed to be several places of interest throughout the area. Unfortunately, all the signs were in an unfamiliar language that Eddy couldn’t even guess the meaning of. “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” May said nervously.

Eddy sighed. “Could you at least try to say something a little less corny?”

Eddy glanced in every direction until he suddenly saw something of interest. “Hey, Blondie! See that kid over there?”

Eddy pointed towards a kid who was vigorously guarding an alleyway. The kid was much shorter than Eddy and was wearing a white shirt, blue shorts, and a yellow bandana. “Yeah?” May asked, confused.

“Looks like he’s protectin’ somethin’,” Eddy surmised greedily. “I bet he’s hidin’ a bunch of money in that alley.”

Eddy rubbed his hands together and grinned as he felt a plan come together. “Let’s see if I can scam this kid outta his stash!”

“But Eddy, aren’t we supposed to be looking for Double D?” May whined.

“What? It’s not like we don’t have time to make a little side-trip! Besides, look at all these bozos! None of them know who I am! I bet I could scam my way to becoming the richest kid in the cul-de-sac in no time!”

The very thought of himself wallowing in tons of money nearly made Eddy salivate. But he resorted to manic laughter, generating some confused stares from the townsfolk. Eddy didn’t seem to notice, however, and strode over to the kid. Seeing him, the kid stood his ground and held out his arms to block the way. “Um…do you know the password?” he asked.

“Do I know the password?” Eddy responded. “Do I know the password? My good man, I know something better! Wanna hear a secret?”

The kid’s face brightened up. “Oh yeah! Yeah!”

“Come closer,” Eddy motioned.

The kid leaned his head in so Eddy could whisper in his ear. As soon as he did, Eddy cupped his hand near his mouth and leaned his head in close. “The secret is…YOU’RE A SAP!”

“Wha?!” the kid cried, shocked, as he suddenly felt himself pushed aside. 

“Go! Go!” Eddy yelled to May, who followed behind him as he ran laughing into the dark passageway.

“H-hey!” the kid screamed. “You can’t go down there!”

Eddy and May just kept running until they were inside. “Oh no,” the boy mused, terrified. “Jim’s not gonna like this…”

XXXXXX

Edd, Marie, Link, and Tatl had just left the Fairy Fountain when Edd decided to bring up a question that had been bothering him. “Hey, guys. Don’t you think we should try and deduce what our capabilities are since we now have…magic?”

Edd still couldn’t believe he was saying that, but he knew there was no more use trying to refute everything going on around him with a logical explanation. Tatl was the one who answered him. “Oh yeah, you can all shoot magic bubbles out of your mouths in Deku form.”

Marie fixed a hard glare on Tatl with her visible eye. “… _What_.”

“You gotta be kidding me,” Link mused. “That doesn’t sound very useful.”

“Well how are you gonna know if you don’t try it out?!” Tatl chided. “Just take a deep breath and blow smoothly, and you’ll start forming a bubble. When you want to release it, just stop blowing.”

“Fair enough, I guess,” Edd said, scratching his chin while thinking to himself, _I must research all this. As unbelievable as this might all seem, if I were to use scientific research to prove the existence of all these things, this could contribute astronomically to science_!

“So what are we gonna use as a target?” Marie asked.

Tatl looked all around them and suddenly noticed a rather tantalizing target. “Look! How about that?”

They all looked at where Tatl was pointing and saw a large blue balloon floating a short distance above them. Plastered on its front was a crude drawing of the creepy heart-shaped mask. “That’ll do,” Marie said, happy to take out her frustration on something.

The three Deku children each took a deep breath and began to slowly exhale. As they did so, a bubble started forming on each of their tube-like mouths. As Edd watched his bubble grow, he thought, _Amazing! If only I could figure out how this works_.

They each finally ran out of breath and let their bubbles go. The bubbles made a whizzing noise as they zoomed towards their target. The moment they all connected, the balloon exploded in a shower of sparkles and rubber material, momentarily blinding the three of them. When Edd opened his eyes and saw the remains of the balloon on the ground, the only thing he could say was, “Whoa…”

“Hey! What gives?” a child’s voice suddenly yelled off to the side.

Edd jumped in surprise, but Link and Marie merely glanced at the voice’s owner, a kid about as short as they were. He wore a white shirt, blue shorts, and a red bandana, and he did not look happy. “I was gonna pop that balloon!” the boy said. “That was Bombers’ property you busted right there!”

“Bombers?” Link questioned. “You’re part of the Bombers Gang?”

“Gang?! We’re not a gang! We’re a society! The Bomber’s Secret Society of Justice, to be exact! We help anyone who’s in trouble or in need! I’m Jim, the leader! So show some respect, Deku!”

“Listen kid,” Marie said through gritted teeth. (or at least tried to, considering she currently didn't have any) “I don’t care if you are the leader of a society of justice, I don’t take crap from nobody! You show a little respect yourself, Jim.”

“Guys, please,” Edd interrupted. “We were told by the Great Fairy that your gang guards the way to the astronomer. We need to speak to him urgently.”

“Nobody except people on official Bomber’s business is allowed to see the old man.”

“But we really need to…” Edd started before someone else cut him off.

“Jim! Jim!” came another child’s voice.

They all looked to see another kid bearing a striking resemblance to Jim save for his yellow bandana running towards them. “Hey! You’re supposed to be on guard duty!” Jim yelled.

“I…I was!” the kid panted. “But these two kids tricked me and got inside! One of them was a little taller than me and had his hair slicked back and was wearing a yellow shirt, and the other was this blond girl with a gray shirt and red shorts and buck teeth!”

At the mention of the two interlopers, Edd and Marie’s eyes widened.

“Wait a minute…” Edd gasped. “Are you serious?!”

“Th-that can’t be…!” Marie stuttered. “Eddy and May!”

Jim whirled around on them. “So, you know these people then? Are you their accomplices?!”

“N-no wait, you got it all wrong!” Edd begged.

“The heck I do! That settles it! As payment for defacing Bomber’s property and aiding in the breach of Bomber’s security, you three are gonna help us catch your friends, and then, we’ll about how else to punish you!”

“Great,” Tatl muttered. “This is just great.”

Link leaned towards Edd and whispered in his ear as Jim started talking to the other gang member. “Just let it go. It might get us to the astronomer in the end.”

Edd slowly nodded, understanding Link’s logic. “Alright, you three,” Jim ordered. “Let’s move out!”


	6. The Astronomer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddy and May search for treasure down in the Clock Town sewers. Meanwhile, Edd and his compatriots enter the sewers as well, looking for the intruders, and eventually meet the astronomer they had been searching for.

The inside of the place was dimly lit by a few large torches. Eddy and May took in what surroundings they could see before Eddy said, “Whatever that kid was guardin’, it has to be down here somewhere! I bet it’s old treasure of some kind!”

Eddy rubbed his hands together and flashed a scheming smile. His wild grin was enough to actually somewhat unnerve poor May, who shrank back a little to let Eddy bask in his euphoria at a safe distance. “C’mon, Blondie! Let’s start lookin’!”

Eddy led the way down the corridor, keeping an eye out for anything that looked like treasure. Unfortunately, he wasn’t paying attention to the important things, and didn’t notice the underground river flowing before his feet until it was too late. Gravity asserted itself, and Eddy fell face first into the water. May, however, had heard the sounds of water and had seen it before Eddy had, but didn’t think to say anything until Eddy had already fallen in. The shortest Ed Boy sloshed around in the water, coughing and sputtering in surprise. May smiled stupidly, adding insult to injury with what she was about to say. “Gee, Eddy. That was real stupid of you.”

“ _Shut it, Kanker_ ,” Eddy growled in the water, his voice muffled by the bubbles spewing out of his mouth.

Eddy was, luckily, barely tall enough to stand in the water and keep his head above water. “Come on, you,” he grumbled to May, who promptly jumped in after him.

The resulting splash did not help dry Eddy off. He gritted his teeth in frustration, shaking his head to get the water out of his face as he waded his way towards dry land, followed by May. They walked onward through the dimly-lit passageway until it opened up into a small chamber. At the far end of the room was a ladder going up the wall, but the very top was blocked off by a large blue balloon with a strange, rather creepy-looking heart-shaped design emblazoned on the front. Eddy stared at it for a moment, rubbing his chin in thought as to how to remove the offending party accessory. “Looks like that balloon’s blockin’ something on the other side.”

“How are we gonna pop it, Eddy?” May asked.

Eddy grinned mischievously. “My bro showed me how. Watch this!”

XXXXXX

(Night of the First Day, 6:00 pm, 60 hours remain)

The sun had barely started sinking over the horizon when Edd, Marie, Link, Tatl, Jim, and the alley guard all arrived at the alleyway that led to the astronomer’s place. Jim turned to the guard. “You stay at your post. The rest of us are going in.”

The guard nodded and stepped inside. “Alright, come on, you three.”

Jim led the way into the passageway. Once inside, everyone took in their surroundings. Edd scrunched up his nose. “This is a sewer,” he surmised unhappily.

“No it’s not,” Tatl answered. “See how clean the water is? This is the underground river that powers the Clock Tower.”

Edd looked down at the water and could clearly see to the bottom. A few fish swam lazily by. “Hurry it up!” Jim ushered impatiently.

Edd sucked in his breath and sprang into the water…or at least he tried to. To his (and everyone else’s) great surprise, instead of splashing into the water, he started bouncing across the surface like a skipping stone. “Gah! What in the heck?!” Edd yiped as he skipped over to a small island bearing a single torch. “W…What did I just do?!”

Edd looked at his feet, hoping for an answer. “Deku can skip across water a short distance,” Tatl explained in a bored tone.

Marie glared once more at the yellow fairy. “You neglected to mention this to us.”

“You never asked!”

“Alright, that’s enough!” Jim yelled. “You, with the green hat!”

He pointed at Link. “You’ll carry me across because I can’t swim.”

“Can I at least hear a ‘please?’” Link said with a frown.

Jim gave no indication he was going to answer, instead just jumping onto Link’s back and crying, “Mush!”

Link had to restrain the urge to throw Jim off into the water as he jumped onto the same platform Edd was on. Marie shrugged her shoulders and took a leap of faith as well, skipping over to the others. “Where next?” Edd asked.

Jim pointed ahead of them. “Over there’s the shore.”

The group skipped their way across the water and shortly reached the other side. Once they had reached dry land, Edd stared down at his barely wet feet. I must take some time to research how all of this is possible, he thought.

Jim leapt off Link’s shoulder and pointed ahead. “Onward!”

Link did not look happy, but he wordlessly fell in line behind Jim, with Edd and Marie taking up the rear. Edd found himself walking next to Marie, and suddenly he felt a little nervous. She happened to notice him stealing glances at her, and said, “Pretty trippy what’s been happenin’, huh?”

“Um…yes, quite,” Edd stammered.

XXXXXX

Eddy and May were about to climb up the ladder when a voice suddenly rang out down the passageway. “Onward!”

Eddy’s heart nearly stopped. “Someone’s comin’!” he whispered to a terrified May. “Hide, quick!”

They both looked around desperately and finally took cover inside a pair of large jars just as a group of strange-looking wooden creatures led by a kid who looked a lot like the gate guard and accompanied by a floating ball of light with wings walked in. The two of them peeked ever so slightly out of the jars to see what was going on. The kid looked up at where the balloon had once been and cried, “Aw man! They busted our blockade!”

“What did you have blocking it?” the glowing ball asked incredulously.

“A balloon,” the kid replied.

One of the wooden creatures, the one with blue hair, widened its visible eye in surprise. “What’re you, stupid? How does a balloon block a passageway?!”

“It-it’s Bombers’ policy!”

“Some policy,” another wooden creature muttered, this one wearing a green hat and green shorts.

“Hey, don’t patronize me, Deku! Let’s just move on. They’re probably talking to the old man now. That’s where we’ll catch ‘em!”

The group then ascended the ladder and left the room. Once he was sure they were gone, Eddy jumped out of the jar, followed by May jumping out of hers. “Didja see what I just saw?!” Eddy muttered in shock.

“Those talking puppets,” May stammered. “They…looked like Double D and Marie!”

“What?! You gotta be kiddin’ me! How could that’a possibly been them?”

“I don’t know!”

“Well, whatever’s up there, looks like we won’t be gettin’ to it now without bein’ seen. Let’s head back outside and keep lookin’ around. Maybe we can scam some other saps while we’re lookin’ for Double D and Marie.”

XXXXXX

The Deku children were caught by surprise as they entered a brightly colored room all of a sudden. The light stung their eyes, but they shortly adjusted. The walls of this new room were swirling patterns of neon colors. Various papers were scattered across the floor, and ahead of them was a set of stairs leading upwards to the second floor. That’s when they saw the old man descending the flight of stairs. He looked very scholarly, wearing a blue robe and cap. He was hunched forward, and his grey hair reached down to his shoulders. As he saw the visitors, he beamed warmly. “Ah, welcome, Jim! I see you brought friends! I trust this is Bombers business?”

“Yep,” Jim answered. “These guys destroyed Bombers’ property, and they’re accomplices to a couple intruders to our hideout. They’re indebted to us ‘til we find their buddies. You seem them pass through here?”

“No, I can’t say that I have,” the old man answered, scratching his chin. “By the way, I’m the astronomer of Clock Town.”

“Oh, good,” Marie said. “We’ve been lookin’ for you.”

“Oh, is that so? Well, you’ve come to the right place, children. How about some dinner? I just made it.”

“Hey, they’re my subjects!” Jim complained.

“I remember the Bombers’ guidelines. As I recall, there’s no rule saying you can’t feed your ‘subjects’.”

“But I’m the boss! Doesn’t that mean I can do whatever I want?”

“No, dear Jim. Being the boss means you do what’s right. Now sit right there. Dinner will be right with you.”

Jim just stood there, crossed his arms, and grumbled incoherently. A few minutes later, the astronomer came back down the stairs carrying a tray bearing four plates of food. “I’m not the best cook, but I do try!” he said as his guests each took a plate and fork, sitting down on some boxes by the wall.

“So, are you Jim’s father, by chance?” Edd asked politely before starting to eat.

The old man slowly shook his head. “No. I’m afraid Jim has no family to speak of in this town. His father entrusted him to me before he left. Sadly, his father never came back.”

Everyone glanced at Jim, who glowered miserably as he ate his food. “I’m…so sorry,” Link stuttered guiltily.

“Yeah, sure, that’s what they all say,” Jim retorted angrily, his eyes misting. “But none of you knows what it feels like, do you? Every day I have to live with the fact that my dad ain’t ever coming home!”

Edd felt too bad for Jim to try and correct his grammatical error. “No...you're not the only one who knows how it feels, Jim,” Link suddenly said, almost too soft for anyone to hear.  
Jim looked hard at Link, who only sighed sadly as he began his tale. “I’m from the Kokiri Forest of Hyrule, but I wasn’t born there. I was raised by the Great Deku Tree, a guardian spirit who kept watch over the woods. One day, a man from the desert by the name of Ganondorf came to the forest and demanded the Deku Tree give him a precious stone. He refused, and so Ganondorf inflicted a death curse on him.”

Link’s hands shook a little and he sniffed as tears came to his eyes. “I wasn’t able to lift the curse, and he died right in front of me. The Great Deku Tree was like a father to me, and now, because of Ganondorf, I’ll never see him again.”

Edd couldn’t help but think about his own family life as Link spoke. “I suppose…this as good a time as any to tell you about my family,” he said, mustering his courage. “When my parents first got married, my mother’s best friend was unhappy with the arrangement, and…well…raped her. About nine months later I was born. My parents tried to dismiss me as being their son at first, but it was soon obvious. They were…ashamed. One day, my father decided to ‘accidentally’ drop my head on the coffee table. He thought it was for the best, but my mother found me and took me to the hospital.”

Marie was stunned. “My God…so then…that’s where…the scar came from?”

Edd nodded sadly. “Even today they only communicate with me through sticky notes and never speak to me to my face. If it weren’t for my two best friends, I don’t even know what I’d be doing right now. I might have even…”

Edd didn’t want to finish, but it was agonizingly apparent what he meant. Edd buried his face in his hands and silently cried. Marie looked at him, and this time, her gaze didn’t betray lust or amusement. Instead, it was one of pity. She would have never thought that Edd didn’t have the fantastic home life she had always thought he had, and the thought that Edd had to live with that kind of pain broke her heart. It was at this moment that she decided that now was the time for her to come clean about her life. “Well…can’t say my life was picture-perfect, either. You see, my sisters and I all had different fathers, and mine was not the most…understanding type. I had to spend the weekends with him, and I’d do whatever I could to get away from him. But I couldn’t stay away forever, and one night my dad came home, drunk and angry about everything, and then he saw me and, well…”

Marie slowly lifted up the hair covering her right eye and revealed what it had hidden for years. “GOOD LORD!” Edd cried as he saw this. Link’s eyes went wide as well.

Marie’s right eye didn’t look right. Even in her Deku form, one could immediately tell something was horribly wrong with it. Unlike her other Deku eye, which was a fiery red-orange, her right eye was a milky orange, and it looked hard and glassy. The magnitude of what this meant finally sank into Edd, and immediately he lost his appetite. Jim just sat there, speechless. The astronomer had a pitying glint in his eyes, but said nothing out of respect. Tatl wasn’t planning on saying it out loud, but she now felt sorry for her unwitting companions and felt guilty her young life wasn’t as messed up as theirs. “My mom got full custody of me, and my dad got fifteen years in prison,” Marie finished. “My sisters and I fight a lot, but they do stick by me, and my mom cares about all of us, but not a day goes by where I don’t think about the day my dad’ll get outta prison.”

She then glanced up at Edd, letting her hair fall back down. “Ya know, that’s why I chase you a lot. If I ever found a decent guy who I knew would take care of me, I’d grab on and never let go.”

Edd felt his cheeks warm up, and he realized he was blushing. I never thought of it that way before, he thought. I guess I never thought about what her feelings might be. _I feel so…callous now_.

Edd looked towards the astronomer. “Sorry we had to create such a dreary atmosphere, sir.”

“I don’t mind at all,” the old man replied, smiling again. “I always say it’s better to let it out than let it bottle up within. Now, you said you were looking for me. What can I help you with?”

Edd sniffed and said, “Well, the Great Fairy in North Clock Town said you may know where the Skull Kid might be.”

The astronomer frowned slightly. “Ah yes, the Skull Kid. He was actually here not too long ago. Rather nasty one, that boy.”

Jim huffed. “I knew we shouldn’t have let him into the gang.”

“Yes, well, as to where he is, I believe my telescope can help. Follow me.”

The old man slowly ascended the stairs, followed by the kids until they reached the top floor. The room above was also scattered with random papers. Edd happened to notice one in particular and picked it up. It was a map of a large landmass, but he was unfortunately unable to decipher the Hylian letters. Interesting, he thought. This must be a map of whatever world we’ve walked into. There only seems to be one landmass, though. Almost like Pangaea.

Meanwhile, the astronomer was adjusting his rather large telescope and finally said, “Aha! There you are.”

Everyone looked up at this and rushed over to the old man’s side. “Have a look, won’t you?” he invited.

Edd gazed into the telescope and immediately saw someone atop the Clock Tower. There was no mistaking it; it was the Skull Kid. “He’s on top of the Clock Tower,” Edd revealed before stepping aside so Link could see. As he saw the Skull Kid, Link said, “Damn. How do we get to him?”

As Jim and Marie took turns catching glimpses of the Skull Kid, the old man caught Link and Edd’s attention. “In two days, at the stroke of midnight, the Clock Tower will change its position for the carnival. The way to the Skull Kid should be open then.”

Suddenly they heard Marie utter, “Uh, guys? I think he knows we’re watchin’ him.”

Everyone immediately crowded around the telescope and saw that the Skull Kid was staring directly at them. The eyes of the mask on his face bore into their souls. The Skull Kid then looked up, and the astronomer, curious as to what he was staring at, turned the telescope upwards towards the looming moon. Suddenly, a streak of light shot out of the moon’s eye and shot downwards towards earth. “Gracious!” the old man shouted as the object made landfall right outside the astronomer’s house, shaking the foundations of the room.

Everyone had grabbed hold of something and just stayed silent for a moment. After a few moments, Edd broke the silence. “I’m…going out there to see what happened.”

Edd slowly opened the door and looked outside. “My word,” he uttered as he saw what was out there.

Everyone could see him picking something up, but they couldn’t see what it was until he turned around and walked back inside. He was holding a small, teardrop-shaped stone that glowed an ethereal blue. The astronomer widened his eyes. “That’s…a Moon’s Tear!” he exclaimed.

“It’s so…pretty,” Marie whispered, breathtaken by the beautiful stone in Edd’s hands.

“This is a rare stone, a very rare stone indeed,” the astronomer said in awe. “They usually fall only during times of great crisis, and they always appear to originate from the moon’s eye, thus the name. I’ve never been able to understand how this happens. But such a stone is very valuable and coveted by many.”

“How…is it glowing?” Edd questioned slowly, mesmerized by the Moon’s Tear in his hand.

The old man scratched his chin. “Well, I’ve heard some old legends about a world inside the moon, a spirit realm of sorts once used as a meeting place for the four gods of this land. Some might say this spirit realm might introduce the possibility that the moon is a sentient being powered by the spiritual energy flowing from within. That would mean these Moon’s Tears are exactly that: our moon lamenting whatever crisis that has befallen Termina. It’s actually a rather…unsettling thought, considering the current circumstances.”

Link blinked in surprise before letting the realization sink in. “The moon…it’s afraid.”

Everyone looked at Link. “It makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“I…suppose,” Edd reluctantly agreed. “The resulting impact would probably destroy the moon as well as every living thing on this world. If I were a sentient celestial body, I’d be frightened too.”

“I may just be an old man, but I have a feeling the Skull Kid has something to do with what is transpiring right now.”

Jim was flabbergasted. “Wait…you mean that little troublemaker is responsible for all of this?!”

“Wh…why would he even do something like that?!” Tatl gasped. “It…doesn’t make any sense! He’d be killing himself along with everyone else!”

The old man shook his head. “I cannot be certain but…there’s something…off about that mask of his. I regret that I have little knowledge of the old tales, but that mask still rings a bell in this old man’s head.”

“Again with the mask?” Marie interrupted. “I can’t see how a costume piece could cause all this.”

“Never judge a book by its cover, young lass,” the astronomer chided. “There’s more to this than what one might initially believe.”

Link’s wooden face hardened in determination. “That settles it. We have to find some way to get to that Skull Kid, _fast_.”

“You had best hurry then,” the astronomer said. “According to my calculations, the moon will fall at exactly six in the morning three days from now.”

Jim turned to the three Deku children. “Alright! The Skull Kid’s on top of the Clock Tower. At midnight two days from now, the Clock Tower’s gonna change position, and we’ll be able to get to the top. That means we have a day and a half to prepare!”

Link looked hesitant. “I really don’t think it’s wise for you to…”

“Listen, Deku,” Jim interrupted firmly, actually sounding more mature. “I’m a Bomber. This is what we do. The old man says a leader doesn’t do what he wants, but what is right, right? And someone’s gotta stop that Skull Kid! So let’s get the rest of the gang together, and we’ll come up with a plan!”

Link sighed in resignation. Edd sighed to alleviate his fear and placed the Moon’s Tear into a zippered pocket on his shorts. “Let’s do this, then!” Marie yelled in excitement.


	7. Ed Samaritans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddy and May end up performing a good deed (for once) while Lee and Ed stumble across an inn.

Night had fully set in, and Lee was starting to get frustrated. She and Ed had been searching around for hours and had found nothing that would lead them to their quarry. Ed’s stupidity did not help at all. They finally returned to East Clock Town, where Lee started pacing about, deep in thought, while Ed shook a box he happened to find in the middle of the street by the lamppost. Hearing something inside, Ed smashed the container against the ground, shattering it to pieces and producing a small green jewel. Lee jumped at the noise and glared at Ed. “Hey, lamebrain! Keep it down, will ya?! I’m tryin’ to think here!”

Ed gave no indication he was listening, for he was focused on the Green Rupee he had just found and was ogling it. Lee pinched her forehead in exasperation. Then she happened to notice something above Ed. There was an alcove on the roof of a shop bearing a large drawing of an octopus-like creature that led into a space surrounded by wooden walls. “Hey, Ed!” Lee yelled. “Go see what’s up there!”

Ed looked up at where Lee was pointing and then back at her with a confused expression. “But how will I get up there?” he asked.

“Here, let me help you.”

And once again, Ed achieved flight thanks to Lee’s mighty foot kicking him in the seat of his pants. Poor Ed screamed until he faceplanted into the wall and staggered around, giggly and delirious. “Huh huh, chickens,” Ed muttered before he collapsed on the roof.

Lee just stared at where Ed had collapsed and shook her head. “Ah, he’ll wake up eventually,” she muttered to herself before walking off.

Not far ahead of her were two buildings sitting side-by-side, separated by the ramp that led to the mayor’s office. She glanced at both of them and sighed. _Crud. If only I could understand what the heck those signs said_.

Suddenly the door of the building on the left opened, and a gruff-looking man in expensive-looking Elizabethan clothes, complete with ruffles around the neck, walked out. He had smooth brown hair parted down the middle of his scalp, thick eyebrows, and a very large moustache. He looked angry about something as he headed towards the other building. Lee shrugged her shoulders and went to talk to the man. As he neared the door, Lee came up from behind and said, “’Scuse me, sir. Ya mind tellin’ me what these signs say?”

The man whirled around and gave her a hard glance. “Bah! Bother! Bother! I’m busy!”

Lee narrowed her eyes and grabbed the man by his ruffles and pulled him close to her face. The man yelped in surprise but was immediately quieted by Lee’s dangerous tone. “Listen, buddy. I don’t care how busy you are, or what you’re pissed off about. All I want to know is what the signs to these two buildings say.”

Lee gestured towards them, and the man’s gaze followed her fingers. Finally he glared back at her, and said, “What, you can’t read Hylian?”

“I wouldn’t be askin’ ya otherwise, smart guy.”

The man ‘hmph’ed and responded, “Let go of me and I’ll tell you, then.”

Lee released her hold on his collar. The man adjusted his ruffles before grumpily explaining, “This here’s the Milk Bar, and that over there’s the Stock Pot Inn. Now quit bothering me!”

The man turned around and entered the Milk Bar, slamming the door behind him. Lee turned her head towards the Stock Pot Inn. _Hmm. So that’s an inn. Looks like we’ll be sleepin’ there tonight. Better round up May and the boys_.

As she started walking back towards where she left Ed, she suddenly saw the dimwitted lug jump off the ledge and smack into the pavement, leaving a small crater where he landed. Ed, of course, was none the worse for wear as he got to his feet, laughing giddily. “Look what I found!” he yelled excitedly, holding up his newest discovery.

Lee glanced at the jewel in Ed’s hand. It was grayish-silver in color, and was shaped in the form of an elongated hexagon. “Ed, didn’t ya find a green jewel just like this a few minutes ago?” Lee asked curiously.

“Yep!” Ed replied, fishing out the other jewel from his pocket.

Lee scratched her chin as she looked at the rupees. “Somethin’ tells me these are important. Better hold onto ‘em, big guy.”

Ed pocketed them right away. “Now let’s go find the other two," Lee ordered. "I found us a place to stay.”

XXXXXX

Eddy was disappointed by the fact that most of the townspeople had gone inside for the night, as that left him with nobody to scam. Bored, he just started wandering around town with May in tow. It wasn’t long until they had wandered into the northern district of Clock Town. There was not much to see here. An old woman with a sack was slowly walking across the path towards Eddy and May, and Eddy was about to turn around when he suddenly noticed something suspicious.

A prancing bald man with a grinning face was approaching the old lady, and something told Eddy deep down that this man didn’t have good intentions. Sure enough, the man suddenly grabbed the old woman’s sack and pushed her to the ground. “Agh! Stop! Thief! Somebody help!” she called in horror.

Eddy and May watched what happened with a look of anger. That guy had just assaulted an old lady who couldn’t even put up a fight. That was _wrong_. Eddy ran towards the thief and yelled, “Hey, you! What’s your problem, stealin’ from old ladies?!”

The thief glanced his way and bolted. “Hey, come back here, you!” Eddy cried angrily. “May, catch that guy!”

May obligingly ran after the thief. Being faster than Eddy, she was able to catch up to the thief sooner and grabbed hold of his legs. Caught by surprise, the thief fell forward, accidentally letting go of his haul. Eddy ran forward and grabbed the sack, getting it out of the thief’s reach. “Why you little--!” the thief growled angrily.

He managed to wiggle out of May’s hold and sprang to his feet. “Gimme that back, you little runt!”

“What, this?” Eddy queried, shaking the bag. “Want it? Come an’ get it, you creep!”

The thief was able to take one step forward before a whistle blew off to the side, followed by an authoritative voice. “Sakon! You won’t escape this time!”

The voice belonged to the North Clock Town gate guard, who ran towards the scene brandishing his spear. Sakon glared at the guard, then said to Eddy, “This ain’t over, you little punk!”

Sakon took off with the guard in hot pursuit. Unfortunately, Sakon was faster than the armor-clad soldier and quickly escaped through the northern gate. As soon as Sakon was gone, the soldier halted. “Ah! Got away again!” he cursed. “Damn that man!”

The soldier and the two kids then ran to the old woman’s side. May and the soldier helped her to her feet and Eddy gave her the sack. “Oh, thank you, sirs!” she exclaimed thankfully. “I never would have thought Sakon would target a poor old hag like me.”

“I’m glad you’re alright, ma’am,” the soldier said. “I’m going back to my post. Maybe next time we’ll catch him.”

The guard then walked off to return to the northern gate. “Thank you for your kindness, young ones. Now I’ll be able to sell the big bomb bags at my shop!”

Eddy puffed out his chest with pride. “All in a day’s work for Eddy the Good Samaritan!”

“Oh, how can I ever repay you?”

Eddy grinned. “Some cash would be nice.”

“Eddy!” May chided, appalled.

“Oh…I’m afraid I don’t have any money on me…but hopefully this can be of use to you.”

The old woman rummaged around her sack until she pulled out a round, black mask with a white skull painted on it and handed it to Eddy. “This is a Bomb Mask. It is a magic mask with the power to detonate like a bomb without being destroyed. The explosions might jar you a little, but it won’t seriously injure you. All you have to do is wear it in order to set the timer. It will be reusable one hour after each detonation. Have fun, and thank you!”

The old lady hoisted the sack over her shoulder and walked off into South Clock Town. Eddy stared at the Bomb Mask in his hands, then at May. “We can probably sell it somewhere,” Eddy surmised, a greedy glint in his eye.

“Eddy, how rude can ya get?” May shouted, clearly upset. “That lady gave ya a gift that might come in handy, outta the goodness of her heart! It’s rude of ya to think about sellin’ somethin’ like that!”

Eddy blinked in surprise and then scowled. “Sheesh, when did you become my mother?”

At that moment, Lee and Ed appeared from the entryway to East Clock Town. “Alright, ya numbskulls,” Lee said, catching Eddy and May’s attention. “It’s startin’ to get late. I found an inn not far from here. We can crash there.”

“Hmph, I suppose it’s better than nuthin’,” Eddy glowered. “But I ain’t bunkin’ with you or May.”

“Fair enough. Now let’s go before they close.”

The four kids made their way back into East Clock Town, and Lee led them over to the Stock pot Inn. Thankfully the door was unlocked, so they all went inside. The lobby was simple but homely. A potted plant sat in a corner by the door, and a series of large, creepy-looking masks adorned the walls above them. Behind the front desk was a young woman with auburn hair and a plain dress. Seeing the kids, she smiled warmly. “Why, hello. Welcome to the Stock Pot Inn.”

Lee walked over to the front desk. “Yeah, we’re lookin’ to stay in two rooms tonight.”

“Well, normally I would ask if you had a reservation, but some of my customers have decided to pack up and leave prematurely. I’m afraid I can’t blame them.”

“What’re ya talkin’ about?” Lee asked.

“Oh my, you haven’t heard the rumors?” the lady responded.

The four visitors all shook their heads in unison. “Oh…well, the rumors say that two and a half days from now, the moon will fall.”

The Kankers and Ed boys looked at each other before bursting into laughter. “Ha! Just like how the world’s gonna end in 2012!” Eddy guffawed. “Yeah, right!”

The woman closed her eyes and hung her head a little. “Well, not everybody believes the rumors, and those that do have already fled.”

The kids managed to calm down, and Lee replied, “Well, rumors or no rumors, we’re here cuz we’re lookin’ for some people who wound up here, and we ain’t leavin’ ‘til we find ‘em!”

“Well, I can’t complain. Business is always good. You said you wanted two rooms? That will be eighty rupees.”

“Eighty what?” Eddy asked. “I ain’t ever heard of rupees.”

“You’re…not from around here, are you?” the lady asked.

“No, can’t say we are,” Lee answered plainly. Then something clicked in her head. “Wait a minute. Ed! Yer jewels! Let me see ‘em!”

Ed’s eyes widened in surprise and horror. “No! Not my jewels!”

“You blockhead, those jewels are probably the rupees she’s talkin’ about! Hand ‘em over!”

“Ed! You had money?! Why didn’t ya tell me?!” Eddy interjected angrily.

Lee held her hand out. Ed started to get teary-eyed as he pulled out the two rupees he had found and slowly dropped them in Lee’s hand. “There ya go, how much is that?” Lee asked, handing the receptionist the rupees.

“More than enough,” the lady answered. “One silver rupee is worth a hundred green rupees, and green rupees are of the lowest monetary value.”

The lady took the silver rupee, handed back the green rupee, and opened the register, taking out a red rupee and handing it to Lee. “Purple rupees are worth fifty green rupees, red ones are worth twenty, and blue ones are worth five. The rare yellow rupees are worth two hundred green rupees. You’ll find rupees almost everywhere. Even wild animals have been known to carry them.”

Hearing this, Eddy rubbed his hands together and laughed sinisterly, and many monsters and animals around the world suddenly felt the need to hide in a hole with their mothers. “You will be staying in the Knife and Blade Chambers. Here are your room keys,” the receptionist said, handing Lee two keys. “Please relax.”

“Will do.”

“Our rooms are just up the stairs to your right.”

Everybody looked at the stairs and began to ascend the steps. Lee turned to Eddy. “Here.”

She then tossed him the key to the Knife Chamber. “Sweet dreams, dreamboat. Come on, May.”

Eddy looked at the key for a moment and then nudged Ed. “C’mon, Lumpy.”

The Eds and Kankers then retired to their rooms. As Eddy unlocked his door and walked in, he noticed a treasure chest situated near the table. “Haha!” Eddy laughed as he bolted over to it. “Sweet! We’re gettin’ a refund!”

Eddy kicked the chest open and noticed a Silver Rupee inside. Laughing merrily, he pocketed the jewel before turning to Ed. “Alright, let’s get some shut-eye. See ya in the mornin’, Lumpy.”


	8. Strategies and Heartache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Edd, Link, Marie, Tatl, and Jim plot their attack on the Skull Kid, the rest of the Eds and Kankers take an easy day due to a sudden thunderstorm.

(Dawn of the Second Day, 6:00 am, 48 hours remain)

Edd, Marie, Link, and Jim had all spent the night at the astronomer’s place and managed to get some sleep. The rooster sitting in the hanging cage somehow knew that the dawn had come, and proclaimed its joy to the heavens. The resounding cock-a-doodle-doo awoke everyone from their (formerly) peaceful rest. Edd groggily rubbed his eyes as he sat up. Marie yawned and stretched. Link was up the quickest, and Jim was putting on his bandana. As everyone finished the process of waking up, they all gathered around each other. “Okay,” Jim began. “First I’m gonna round up the other Bombers, and then we’ll start strategizing.”

Jim clasped his hands behind his back. “And there’s something else I want you all to know. I don’t usually do this, so you better feel honored. Under the current circumstances, I’m officially making you all honorary Bombers members!”

“Umm…okay,” Marie said with a raised eyebrow.

“Now let’s go!”

XXXXXX

Lee awoke to the sounds of thunder and rain. Groggily she looked towards the window by her bed and saw raindrops pounding against the glass, accompanied by the occasional flash of lightning. “Rain,” she murmured in displeasure. “Wonderful.”

May was shaken out of her sleep by the noise as well. “Huh…what?”

“It’s rainin’ cats an’ dogs out there,” Lee grunted. “Looks like we won’t be goin’ anywhere ‘til it lets up.”

“Oh,” May answered glumly. “Marie always hated the rain.”

Lee sat up and sighed. “Yeah. If she’s still here, she probably won’t be outside either. We’ll start lookin’ again when it lets up.”

Lee then heard her stomach growl discontentedly. “In the meantime, let’s get sumthin’ to eat.”

XXXXXX

Eddy was unable to sleep for most of the night due to Ed’s obnoxious snoring, and was miserable when morning came. Ed, oblivious to said misery, woke up first and yelled happily, “Good morning, Eddy!”

Eddy promptly threw his pillow at Ed’s face and knocked over the simpleton. “You kept me up most of the night with your snoring, ya lumberjack!” Eddy bemoaned groggily. “If ya don’t mind, I’d like to catch up. Go eat or somethin’, anything that doesn’t keep me awake!”

“Sure thing, Eddy!”

Ed stood up and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him as Eddy pulled the covers over his head and went back to sleep.

Ed suddenly smelled food as he left the room and immediately began following the scent with a wide grin. As he came upon the stairs, he suddenly noticed the two Kanker sisters ahead of him descending as well, talking with one another. Ed made sure to keep his distance, not wanting to be seen by May and potentially get infected with “girl germs” again as he was always afraid of. Unfortunately, Lee heard him and turned around, sneering as she saw him. “Hey there, flathead!” she crowed. “Where’s dreamboat?”

Ed froze in fear as May turned around, a great big smile stretching across her face as she saw her man. “Morning, Big Ed!” she greeted, waving at him.

Suddenly they were all caught off-guard by a new voice. “Oh! I didn’t notice you were awake, children!” came the voice of the receptionist, who appeared from round the corner. “I bet you’re hungry. My mother just finished making breakfast for the guests. Won’t you partake?”

“Thought I smelled somethin’,” Lee said with a grin.

The receptionist smiled in turn and turned her head down the hall. “Mother! Some of our guests are awake! Would you please ready three plates?”

“Right away, Anju dear,” an older woman’s voice replied from a distance.

“Please follow me,” Anju motioned in a friendly tone.

Lee and May promptly followed, Ed hesitantly joining them a moment later. They walked past a few doors until they reached the kitchen, where a rather heavy-set woman bearing some resemblance to Anju was getting out three plates and some silverware. She seemed to have just finished making bacon and eggs for the patrons and was now placing some on the plates. “Here you go,” Anju’s mother said, handing the three kids their breakfast.

Suddenly the sound of a door slamming open echoed throughout the building, jolting all five of them. “Oh my!” Anju yelped in surprise. “What’s going on?”

Curious, Lee, May, and Ed followed Anju to the lobby where they saw a disheveled figure slam the door behind him. With a smirk, Lee recognized him as the man she had roughed up last night for information. Anju widened her eyes. “Gorman! What happened to you? You look awful!”

Gorman was swaying a little, his face red, and his eyes puffy and bloodshot. The man was, completely and undeniably, drunk out of his skull. “Bahh…Bother…I is busy,” Gorman slurred, making his way towards the stairs.

“Heh, somebody was a little too into their bottles last night,” Lee surmised with a wry smile.

Gorman turned her way, and was too wasted to recognize Lee. “Me…drunk? Silly *hic* girl…I wissssssssshhhh I coul’ get drunk *hic* like everyone else…*hic*…But it jus’ doesn’t seems to affect me.”

Lee scowled. _Reminds me a little too much of my old man_ , she thought as Gorman began ascending the stairs.

The man hadn’t made it three steps before he fell flat on his face. “Oh my goodness!”Anju yelled in horror, rushing to Gorman’s side. “Gorman, are you alright?”

“I jus’…tripped…*hic*…”

Lee rolled her eyes and walked over to Gorman’s other side. “Where’s his room? Let’s get ‘im outta the hallway so he don’t get in everybody’s way.”

Anju nodded, and the two young women each put one of Gorman’s arms around their shoulders and hoisted him to his feet. “I…I’m tellin’ you…I ain’t…*hic*…drunk…” Gorman stuttered drunkenly.

“You’re wasted worse than a depressed pirate,” Lee grumbled as the two of them began hauling Gorman up the stairs.

“Ah, what do the three of you know?” Gorman answered, glaring deliriously at Lee.

Lee gritted her teeth in annoyance. _Lord help me_.

XXXXXX

As soon as Edd, Marie, Link, Tatl, and Jim walked outside, they noticed to their chagrin that it was now raining. Marie was not thrilled to see this, but kept her displeasure to herself. However, she did not fail to notice that the rain actually felt rejuvenating to her, which made sense in context since she was currently a talking plant. “Good thing I brought my whistle,” Jim remarked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a white whistle. “This’ll get their attention.”

Jim promptly blew the whistle, forcing the others to cover their ears due to how unnaturally loud it was. “Good lord, at least give us a warning before you try to blow out our eardrums!” Edd protested indignantly as he massaged his ears.

“Sorry.”

It wasn’t long before more kids wearing the Bombers uniforms appeared from various parts of the town, rushing over to the origin of their boss’s whistle. “Jim! You called!” one cried as he approached.

The others soon gathered around their leader and waited for orders. “Alright, men!” Jim began. “I’ve come up with an attack plan for tackling the Skull Kid! This is what we’re gonna do! When the clock strikes midnight on the third day, the clock tower will be accessible to the public. We’ve determined the Skull Kid is there, having his fun at other people’s expense. When we get up there, me and the Deku are gonna distract him with bubbles and slingshots while the rest of you pelt him from behind until he gives up!”

“You make it sound so deceptively simple,” Link interrupted. “But there’s more to it than that. There’s something wrong about that mask he’s wearing, and I have the feeling we’re dealing with more than just a prankster. If we’re really going to go through with this, we have to be extra careful. He might do something really dangerous to get rid of us.”

“Any ideas?” Jim asked.

“Well, for one thing, he has my ocarina, which is of…great importance to me and might be useful if I were to get it back.”

Marie raised her wooden eyebrows in interest. “What’s so special about this ocarina of yours?”

Link hesitated. “Well, I really don’t know if I should tell you, but…it’s a sacred musical instrument with the ability to influence time. It’s an old treasure of the Hylian Royal Family where I’m from, and my friend Princess Zelda entrusted it to me for safekeeping.”

Edd was quiet the whole time. While he secretly wanted his precious hat back, deep down he knew it was of little importance compared to everything else they were doing. Finally he decided to speak up. “So, our primary target should be the ocarina. If we can get it out of Skull Kid’s hands, Link might be able to use it.”

He felt strange that he suddenly sounded a little bit like Eddy whenever he was laying out his plans for his scams. Jim nodded his head at Edd and then looked to the assembled group. “Alright, men! You have your orders! Let’s get ourselves ready!”

XXXXXX

(3:00 pm, Second Day)

The day had been dreadfully boring so far, and due to this, Lee, Ed, and Eddy had all taken naps in the middle of the day. May, however, was still awake, but she was quite bored as well. Thankfully she had noticed that the rain was beginning to die down and was heading down towards the lobby when she suddenly saw the receptionist, Anju, walking ahead of her, carrying a flowery umbrella over her head. A dejected, sorrowful expression was written across her face that struck a chord in May’s heart. Anju didn’t seem to notice May as she headed out the door. The youngest Kanker girl then decided to follow her and see if there was anything she could do.

As May closed the door behind her, she saw Anju making her way towards South Clock Town, and she then kept pace a short distance behind Anju and followed her into the town square. The construction crew had made some progress with the tower, but May caught snippets of conversation concerning the rumors about the moon. May then noticed Anju heading up the stairs that led into an alleyway. Dodging the construction work, she made her way into the Laundry Pool and found Anju sitting forlornly on a little bench, glancing dejectedly at a letter in her hand. May took a deep breath and entered the Laundry Pool, making her presence known. Seeing May, Anju looked up in surprise. “Oh! Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“I don’t mean to be nosy, but why are you so sad?” May asked sympathetically.

Anju sighed. This girl looked to be just old enough to understand this kind of thing. “I don’t want to unnecessarily involve you, but…I was about to be married to my sweetheart. And then, just a few weeks ago, he disappeared…No one’s seen any sign of him at all…my mother thinks that…”

Anju couldn’t hold it any longer. She buried her face in her free hand as tears began to crawl down her face. “Oh, Kafei…what did I do wrong?” she sobbed quietly. “I don’t understand…Why are you gone?”

Although the Eds would have never guessed it, May was a very empathetic person, and in a way, she understood what Anju was going through. Quietly she sat at Anju’s side and smiled. “Maybe he’s just trying to surprise you,” she suggested. “Maybe he’s out gettin’ a big wedding present just for you, something hard to find!”

Anju was able to smile just a little bit, glad that someone was trying to reassure her in this time of need. “Thank you,” she said. “I just…needed someone to talk to…My mother never really liked him, and she’s convinced he ran off with my friend Cremia, but…Kafei would never do that…And with most of my other friends gone because of the rumors, I just feel…alone.”

Anju suddenly let out a little gasp of surprise as she found herself being hugged by May. Smiling sadly, she returned the embrace, thankful she had found a new friend in this dismal time. Neither of them were aware of the masked figure watching them from behind a locked door at the far end of the Laundry Pool, gazing longingly at Anju and promising to himself he would do everything he could to keep his promise to her.


	9. Countdown to Catastrophe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edd and his new friends practice for their mission against Skull Kid, while the other Eds and Kankers continue to fruitlessly search for them. All the while, time begins to run out...

(9:00 pm, Second Day, 33 hours remain)

It was a long, tiring day of practice, but Edd had survived. He and the other baleful polymorphs in his group had managed to somewhat adjust to shooting magic bubbles at various targets. Link was a crack shot, Edd had noticed. Marie wasn’t that bad either. He, on the other hand, had to practice quite a bit before he was able to accurately target moving things, but he eventually got the hang of it, and for that, Edd was proud. At the present moment he was in his bed in the astronomer’s house, lying awake as everyone else slept around him. As tired as he was, he couldn’t sleep. Not with that _thing_ in the sky, anyway.

He’d been forced to look up the whole day during practice, and watching that giant, angry-looking chunk of rock slowly descending on the town was made it difficult to concentrate. But there was something else about this whole situation that made him on edge. _If what that gate guard said was true, Eddy and May are here in the town too_ , Edd thought to himself in worry. _I bet Ed and Lee are with them. As if things couldn’t get worse_.

Edd sighed as he rubbed his eyes. _With Marie and I stuck in these forms, they definitely won’t recognize us. Poor Ed…he’d probably strangle me and think I had eaten the real Double D. God, I hope this operation works tomorrow. Just the sight of that moon_ …

Edd shuddered as he thought of the giant celestial object. _Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it. The sooner this whole thing blows over, the better_ …

Suddenly Edd was startled out of his thoughts by the sounds of mumbling. Quickly looking towards the noise, he noticed Marie tossing and turning in her bed, a troubled look on her face as she slept fitfully.

 _Strange_ , Edd thought. _If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was having a nightmare_ …

XXXXXX

_Blackness. Complete, utter blackness is what Marie saw. And on top of that, she felt cold. Suddenly she heard an echoing laughter pierce her ears. It wasn’t a child’s laugh either, but one belonging to an older individual, thin, cold, and menacing. Then she saw Edd, standing there with a confused look on his face. “Double D?” she whispered.  
He turned in her direction, and suddenly his eyes went wide with fright as a low rumbling noise was heard. And then she saw it: a great wall of fire rushing towards them at phenomenal speeds. There was no way they could outrun it. Edd desperately extended his hand. “Marie!” he pleaded._

_No. No! No no no no! Marie reached for him, calling out his name in horror. He was her world. She couldn’t lose him. But before their fingers could touch, the waves of fire were upon them. Marie was strangely unaffected, but that only made it worse, for before her very eyes, the flames consumed Edd’s body. His flesh burned away from bone, which in turn burned to ashes, and the whole time he was screaming in agony. All she could do was scream with him as the man she loved burned away in front of her. She was still screaming when she finally awoke, the horror of her dreams fresh on her mind, as well as the sight of a pair of bulbous, round eyes staring mockingly at her through the flames, laughing maniacally._

XXXXXX

Everyone jolted awake at the sound of Marie’s scream. Link nearly fell out of bed trying to grab a sword he forgot wasn’t there. Tatl accidentally slammed into a pot and broke it. Edd yelped in terror and backed up against the wall. Jim flailed around in his blanket trying to grab his slingshot. And they all suddenly stopped at the sight of Marie sitting bolt upright in her bed and clutching herself frightfully. “What’s going on?!” cried Jim. “What the heck was that about?!”

Marie didn’t answer. She was breathing heavily as she slowly rocked herself back and forth. Edd, for reasons unknown even to him, felt compelled to slowly walk up to her side and put a hand on her shoulder. “M…Marie?” Edd asked cautiously, unsure of how she would respond.

Marie suddenly looked up at him and then did the one thing Edd thought he would never see tough and scary Marie Kanker do in his lifetime: she began to cry. Hysterical sobs echoed throughout the room as everyone stood there dumbfounded. “Marie! A-are you al…OOF!”

Edd suddenly found himself wrapped in Marie’s arms as she cried hysterically into his shoulder. Unsure of what to do, Edd just stood there as Marie kept hold of him, not wanting to let him go. “You had a nightmare, didn’t you?” Link asked.

Marie opened her good eye and glanced in his direction. “It’s a side-effect of the magic. You’re unsure about the operation. You’re scared for those you care about. Those who are inexperienced at fully controlling their magical powers tend to have nightmares for the first few days until their bodies get used to it.”

Edd turned his head towards Link. “How do you know that?”

“I’ve used magic before. The same exact thing happened to me. I dreamt that the forest was on fire, my friends were being murdered, and Ganondorf was there, mocking me the entire time. It’s terrible how lucid those dreams are. You’d think they were real.”

After a few more moments, Marie finally let go of Edd and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry, guys,” she murmured. “We should get more sleep. And we should also do something else… _never mention what just happened to anyone_. Got it?”

The boys all dumbly nodded their heads, surprised by her sudden rebound, and returned to their beds to hopefully get some more sleep before the operation tomorrow.

XXXXXX

_He knew they were coming. He knew the Hero would be coming for him soon. But he wasn’t worried. The boy’s most important possession, that blasted Ocarina of Time, was in his puppet’s (and by extension, his) hands, and the Master Sword was safely locked away back in Hyrule. The Champion of the Goddesses was essentially a rose without thorns, as far as he was concerned. He did remember, though, a time when a previous Champion of the Golden Ones struck down his own champion, Majora’s Chosen. The great Demon King Demise, the Champion of the Fallen One. He was defeated by the first Hero of Legend. Wasn’t that twig’s name Link as well?_

_In the end, it didn’t matter to Majora. The Hero of Legend was weaponless, and those two children his puppet decided to mug wouldn’t be much of a problem either. Everything was working out for him perfectly. Majora always loved destroying things, murdering innocent people for the sheer thrill of it. But there was an extra investment in what he was doing. By destroying this world, he would get revenge on the Hero’s legacy, and especially his holier-than-thou sisters. That thought filled him with just as much sadistic pleasure as wanton slaughter did. The hours were ticking by. The Skull Kid’s fairy was getting antsy. Neither he nor his puppet paid him any mind as they together continued to call down the moon to complete its devastating descent._

_Whatever happened tomorrow night, Majora was going to have fun._

XXXXXX

(Dawn of the Final Day, 6:00 am, 24 hours remain)

Eddy, Lee, Ed, and May were all rudely awakened by a deep rumbling noise that shook the very foundations of the earth. “Whoa, what the heck?!” Eddy yelped as he fell out of bed.  
“EARTHQUAKE, EDDY!” Ed screamed in horror before jumping on top of Eddy and shielding him with his body.

“Gah! Get offa me, you big lug!”

The rumbling died down in moments, and it looked like nothing had been damaged. Ed finally acquiesced to his friend’s request and got off of him. Huffing as he brushed himself off. “Well, since that woke us up, I think it’s time we went lookin’ for Double D some more.”

Eddy whipped out a comb and combed his hair as he walked out the door with Ed in tow. The Kankers were just walking out of their rooms as well and the two pairs noticed each other. Lee sneered in her usual way. “You ready, dreamboat?”

“Whenever you are, Kanker,” Eddy answered irritably.

“Good. You know the drill. Ed, with me. May, with Eddy.”

“But Lee…”

A sharp look from Lee shut May right up. Eddy sighed. “Alright, Blondie. Let’s go.”

As the four of them walked outside, another tremor suddenly shook the earth before fizzling out as well. And to top it all off, there were people all over the place carrying bags containing their belongings and were heading towards the various exits from the town. The four of them looked upon the scene in confusion. “The heck?” Eddy queried. “Where’re they all goin’?”

“Must be them silly rumors about the moon,” Lee noted, folding her arms.

“Well, let’s get a move on,” Eddy declared, eager to get away from Lee.

The two groups then headed off in opposite directions. Eddy and May proceeded towards West Clock Town while Lee and Ed went towards South Clock Town. Once Eddy and May reached the shopping district, they noticed that the place was completely empty. Not a soul in sight. Eddy looked around. “Geez, these people are ridiculously superstitious,” Eddy commented.

Eddy shoved his hands inside his pockets and began strolling down the street with May in tow. He had to admit, though, the atmosphere was rather eerie without people walking around. There was also a cloud of unexplainable dread that hung over the city, something that kept Eddy and May slightly on edge. Eddy decided not to think about it as he and May suddenly noticed a young man with dark red hair wearing a pair of sunglasses exiting one of the shops with luggage in hand. Before Eddy could say anything, May piped up, “Excuse me, mister?”

The man realized May was talking to him and sauntered over to them. “Whaddaya want? If you want me to sell ya somethin’, I’m afraid now’s not a really good time.”

“We’re not asking for you to!” May responded. “We just wanna know why everyone’s clearin’ outta this place so fast.”

The two of them could almost see the look of shock behind the man’s sunglasses as his mouth hung open a little. “You…you don’t know? Seriously… _you don’t know_?”

Eddy and May promptly shook their heads. The man sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Ah…perhaps it’s better if you didn’t know…Listen, it’s just not wise to be in town right now…and I didn’t believe all the talk at first, but…it’s something that just can’t be ignored anymore. That’s why I’m closin’ my Curiosity Shop and clearin’ out too.”

At the realization that this man was a salesman, all sense of warning immediately blew over Eddy’s head as a sly grin spread over his face. “So…you in the mask-sellin’ business?”

“Eddy!” May scolded, knowing exactly where he was going with this.

“Shut yer yap, May!”

“Hm? Oh, that does remind me! I happen to have a mask in my possession. I was gonna sell it for some hefty profit, but considering the current times, I don’t think I’ll be needin’ it anymore.”

“It won’t explode, will it?”

“What? No! Only the Bomb Mask does that, and that one’s pretty rare. In better times that could fetch a fancy price on the market.”

Now he had Eddy’s full attention.

The man opened up his suitcase and began rummaging through it. “No, what I have is different…aha!”

He suddenly pulled out a rather strange-looking mask and held it up for the kids to see. It was black, and looked like it was made out of many interconnected laces spider-webbing around each other to form the face. A pair of round white eyes with red irises adorned the face. “This here’s the All-Night Mask. It’s a special mask that when worn, it will prevent you from falling asleep. As I remember, it was used as a torture device.”

Now, to most people, being handed a magical object confirmed to have once been used to torture people would cause some slight discomfort. However, to Eddy, this only made the dollar signs in his eyes grow larger. “Gimme! Gimme!”

“Sure thing, kid. Take it. I'll take all the good karma I can get.”

The Curiosity Shop Owner then tossed the mask over to Eddy and shut his suitcase. Grabbing it, Eddy began chuckling hysterically before running off, May quickly following. “E-Eddy, wait up! Ya didn’t thank the guy!”

Eddy only laughed louder. The man shook his head solemnly. _Poor kid. At least he can die happy_.

He cast one more glance heavenward before grabbing his suitcase and heading out of town. Meanwhile, Eddy was staring at the All-Night Mask near what looked to be the Post Office, a wide, greedy grin on his face. May just watched him impatiently as he ogled his prize. “Heh heh…this could probably sell fer millions back home! Once we find Sockhead and Marie, I’ll be rollin’ in dough in no time!”

“Hey, shorty! Let’s get a move on!” May suddenly commanded, fed up with all of Eddy’s distractions. All she wanted to do was find her sister, and Eddy’s plans to make himself rich were not speeding things along.

Eddy rubbed his ears at the noise. “Jeez, fine, fine! We’ll go lookin’ for ‘em again! Don’t get yer panties in a bunch!”

The day wore on, with the occasional tremor to throw everyone off-balance, but the Eds and Kankers once again failed to find their missing teammates. Never once did they think to check in the sewers, or more specifically, the astral observatory.


	10. Operation: Moonfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moment of truth arrives. The Eds and Kankers reunite beneath the horror of the rapidly-descending moon.

**Chapter Ten: Operation Moonfall**

(Night of the Final Day, 11:00 pm, 7 hours remain)

The rumbling had started to intensify after the sun had set. Edd was practically shivering from fright. That thing looming over the town had gotten so _huge_ over the last three days, and its face was positioned directly overlooking the town square, the nose directly over the Clock Tower. It had gotten close enough that they could see it moving closer. Edd, Marie, and Link had spent most of the day with Jim and his fellow gang members going over the plan and familiarizing themselves with the layout of the Clock Tower. Currently they were holed up in the now-abandoned Stock Pot Inn, the door locked and the windows boarded up. Edd stood in the lobby, his hands clasped behind his back as he surveyed the Bombers handiwork sullenly. He sighed sadly. _There’s no way this will shield them from the effect of the impact._

Marie walked up next to him and folded her arms, glancing over at Edd and flashing a grim smile. “You ready, sweetie?” she quipped playfully, hoping to finally get her favorite reaction out of him. Truthfully, she was starting to miss the fun she used to have with him, considering they had lately been a little distracted by the possible end of the world.

Edd jumped at her unexpected presence and started fidgeting. “Well, I…uh…I-I sup-p-pose I am…W-What ab-b-bout you?”

Marie threw her head back and laughed, causing Edd to blush slightly. “Oh, Double D, you’re so fun to mess with! Lighten up, will ya? It’s not like the world’s about to end!”

“Uh, well, a-a-about that…”

“Double D?”

“Um…y-yes?”

“Shut up and get a sense of humor.”

Edd really wished he had his beanie so he could pull it over his eyes to hide his embarrassment. Marie smirked as he settled with putting his hands over his eyes. “You’re so cute when you do that. You know, I’d kiss you if I didn’t think it would be awkward considering our current predicament.”

Edd was so nervous he was starting to sweat. _Oh good lord, of all the times she had to start acting normal again…Why am I feeling this? I feel scared but…not in the same way as I was before…How strange…_

Then Edd’s face went from embarrassment to worried and a little depressed a little too quickly for Marie’s comfort. “Uh, Double D? What’s wrong?”

Edd sighed again. “The world’s about to end, Marie. And we’re trapped here. And our only chance, however slim it may be, lies with people we don’t even know. And to top it all off, your sisters and my friends are also somehow here in town as well. If only we could go look for them…”

Marie looked away for a moment, understanding what he meant. “For all I know, they could have no idea what’s going on. If we don’t succeed, we might be killed, and the people we care about will be resigned to this world’s fate as well. It’s a lot to have thrust upon your shoulders, don’t you think?”

Marie hung her head low, frowning dejectedly. “Yeah…”

Suddenly the sound of Jim’s voice echoed throughout the room as the Bomber leader waltzed in with Link, Tatl, and the other gang members in tow. “Alright, all of you! Gather round!”

Edd and Marie turned around and walked over to the others. “Alright guys, I’ve been workin’ on some weapons for us to use when we get to the Skull Kid,” Jim began as he held up some freshly-made slingshots and pea-shooters. “The Deku have their own projectles, so this is for the rest of you!” He began passing out the weapons to the gang members around him. “Are you all clear with the plan?”

“So let me see if I have your plan understood correctly,” Edd stated. “When the clock strikes midnight, the Clock Tower will open up a passage to the top to where the Skull Kid is hiding. You, Link, Tatl, Marie, Number Two, and I will proceed up to the Clock Tower and engage him with peashooters and slingshots. The rest of you are going to hole up here and guard the fort. Hopefully our ambush is supposed to be enough to convince the Skull Kid to let up and reverse the moon’s trajectory. In the event that we are…unsuccessful…” a solemn silence momentarily dominated the conversation. “…The rest of you, as well as whatever survivors there are from Team One will escape the town through the East Gate and head towards…uh…”

“Ikana Canyon,” Jim finished. “The mountains there might be enough to shield us from the moon’s impact. If we fail in the thirty or so minutes after midnight, it might give us enough time to reach the canyon.”

Somehow, Edd and Marie doubted that was true. However, they kept their thoughts to themselves as Tatl suddenly said, “Guys, it’s almost time…”

The whole group then looked up at the clock next to the fairy. Two minutes ‘til midnight.  “Alright guys, let’s go!” Jim hollered, unlocking the door and rushing outside.

Number Two followed right behind, while Link, Tatl, Edd, and Marie all gave each other reassuring looks before going as well. The rest of the Bombers gang watched them go before turning to each other. “So guys,” Number Three said. “Who’s up for hiding under those beds?”

Once Team One was outside, they chanced a collective glance at the moon, which now almost took up the entire view of the sky. Edd gulped. _Either this works or we’re all dead,_ he thought grimly.

XXXXXX

Eddy, Ed, May, and Lee all met up by the Stock Pot Inn just seconds after their quarry left, and of course were completely unaware of this as they sighed dejectedly. “No luck, huh?” Lee mused.

“Nah, you?” Eddy grumbled.

Lee shook her head. “Maybe they ain’t in town anymore. Tomorrow we’re going to search outside this place.”

Lee then grabbed the door handle, but to everyone’s surprise, it was locked. “What the…?” Lee started.

The eldest Kanker sister began jiggling the door handle, pushing against it, and banging it with her fists, but no one answered. “Oh, great!” Eddy whined angrily. “This is just _great_! Now the guys at the inn ran off too and left us all here to sleep out in the cold!”

Ed continued to be off in his own little world, but May happened to turn her head and saw shadows making their way towards South Clock Town. “Hey, guys!” she said, catching her companions’ attention and pointing towards the fleeing silhouettes. “Maybe that’s them!”

The other three turned towards where May was pointing and saw them disappear around the corner. “No time to waste! After ‘em!” Eddy declared, taking off with the others in tow, Ed laughing stupidly as they ran.

XXXXXX

Team One was almost all the way down the stairs when the Clock Tower suddenly chimed loudly, signaling midnight. But this time it did something else as well. The bulbous top of the tower began reaching towards the moon on a long wooden beam, the clock faces rising with it. And all the while, fireworks exploded around it, as if the town was desperately trying to cheer itself up in the face of impending doom. Finally the moving parts of the structure tipped onto the side, exposing the clock to the sky and turning it into a platform. Beneath the structure, a wall fell, followed by another, and another, until a set of stairs had formed that led inside the Clock Tower. Once this was done, the fireworks stopped.

Breaking out of their trance, Jim, Edd, Marie, Link, Tatle, and Two all began running as fast as they could towards the tower, passing by the irate construction leader, who was busy yelling at the moon. “Cowards! Not a one of you stayed! My apprentice will be disgusted with all ‘o you! If you’re gonna fall _, then fall already_!”

They reached the tower, heaving themselves onto a platform that led to the stairs. Once everyone was together, they paused, Jim looking to his companions with a determined gaze. “You guys ready for this?” he asked firmly.

Two held up his slingshot and grinned. Link and Marie both nodded. After a moment of hesitation, Edd swallowed his fear and nodded as well. Tatl responded last. “Alright! Come on, let’s go stop that Skull Kid!”

They then ran up the stairs and into danger. At the exact same time, Eddy, Ed, Lee, and May entered South Clock Town. Eddy glanced over at the Clock Tower just in time to see someone enter the tower. “Look, over there!” Eddy pointed. “Let’s get ‘em!”

They too, unknowingly, went racing towards imminent danger.

XXXXXX

A silent Skull Kid, floating overhead with his arms crossed, greeted the kids as they reached the top. “Skull Kid!” Jim cried. “You little jerk! You’ve been causin’ a lotta trouble lately, and as leader of the Bombers…”

“Oh shut up, will you?” Skull Kid interrupted. “Wow, you’re even less fun than I remember.”

Suddenly a dark ball of light with wings shot out from behind the Skull Kid. “Sis!” Tael cried desperately to his sister.

“Tael! Get away from the Skull Kid, now!” Tatl answered firmly.

Tael flitted in front of the Skull Kid and said, “Swamp…Mountain…Ocean…Canyon…Hurry…the four who are there…bring them here!”

Before anyone could blink, the Skull Kid backhanded Tael with a displeased growl. “Keep your mouth shut, stupid fairy!”

Everyone recoiled in shock at the Skull Kid’s actions, particularly Tatl, who shrieked in horror. “Hey! That’s my brother, Skull Kid! Don’t you _dare_ hit him!”

“I concur,” Edd yelled, uncharacteristically angry. “Treating your own friends in such an abusive and hostile manner is unacceptable! Have you no conscience?”

“Yeah!” Marie added, a menacing edge in her voice. “Your attitude’s rotten, kid! Why don’cha come down from there and see if you’re so cocky after I’m through with you!”

“If you have any sense of reason, you’ll return us to normal _right now_ , Skull Kid!” Link yelled.

“Ha! What can you do, ‘specially without _this_?” the Skull Kid retorted smugly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a light-blue ocarina. “You’re all just a rose without thorns! You can’t do anything against me! Or that, for that matter…”

Skull Kid pointed dismissively at the approaching moon, which was now even larger than before. “But if you think you can do somethin’ about it, then be my guest!”

With that, the Skull Kid clenched his small fists and screamed towards the heavens. The mask’s eyes lit up as Edd, Marie, and Link all felt the magical aura emanating from the sinister headpiece. Then, to their horror, the moon actually started falling _faster_. Edd widened his eyes in fear, but Jim held his ground and brought out his peashooter. “Alright, Skull Kid! You asked for it! Fire at will!” Jim cried, shooting his peashooter at Skull Kid’s face.

The little pebble harmlessly bounced off the mask. Two brought out his slingshot and fired a rock at the Skull Kid, who swatted it nonchalantly out of the air. “Is that all ya got?” Skull Kid taunted with a laugh. “I’m not even impressed!”

This was the Deku’s sign to attack, Link firing first, followed by Marie. The bubble shot towards Skull Kid, who tried to swat them aside as well. However, considering these weren’t made of solid material, the bubbles just popped, leaving a sticky residue on Skull Kid’s arm. “Oh, yuck! What is this? _!_ ”

Edd finally summoned up a little courage and fired a bubble as well, and its aim was true, smacking Skull Kid directly on the mask’s face. The goo got in his eyes, and the little imp let out a cry of anger as he tried to pry the stuff off his mask, his grip on the ocarina loosening. Link leaned over to Jim. “Jim, shoot your peashooter at that ocarina.”

Jim looked up at where Link was pointing and aimed his peashooter accordingly. Skull Kid yelped in pain and shock as he felt the pebble strike his forearm, dropping the ocarina in his surprise. Link leapt towards the musical instrument and seized it. And suddenly he stopped moving altogether. Meanwhile, Skull Kid had succeeded in pulling the goo off the mask and glared murderously at Jim. “You’ll pay for that, punk!” he screeched in fury.

Suddenly the Skull Kid began charging a ball of energy in his other hand before hurling it at Jim. “Boss, look out!” Number Two cried, throwing himself between Jim and the oncoming energy ball. However, the energy struck Two with such force that it threw both of them back, and they tumbled over the wall and into the darkness below. Edd cried out with shock and horror and leaned over the side. “Jim! JIM!”

There was no answer in the darkness. Jim and Number Two were gone. Meanwhile, Marie was frantically shaking Link’s arm, shrieking at him to snap out of his catatonic state and receiving no response. Edd whirled around and glared at the Skull Kid with a look of intense hatred that was wholly uncharacteristic of the young preteen. “You…you horrible, loathsome, heartless little bully!”

“Now now, no need to be mean!” Skull Kid sneered. “I can play nice! Ya want your silly hat back? Here, take it!”

The Skull Kid took off his straw hat and unceremoniously tossed Edd’s beanie back at him. “It’ll keep ya nice and warm in hell!”

Despite himself, Edd picked up his cherished beanie and put it back on his head, feeling a small sense of relief at being reunited with his most important piece of clothing.

“Hah…ah…jeez, I wasn’t expectin’ so many stairs!” came an unexpected voice from the direction of the trapdoor.

“Someone’s outta shape, eh, dreamboat?”

Edd and Marie suddenly froze. _Those voices…they can’t be_ , they thought in unison.

Sure enough, four familiar figures suddenly walked onto the platform. “Where the heck are we?!” Eddy said, throwing up his hands.

“How should I know? You led us up here!” Lee snapped.

“Yeah, Eddy!” May added.

“I like to dance with chickens!” Ed yelled in his usual out-there voice, grinning stupidly.

“Ed? Eddy?” Edd managed to gasp.

“Lee? May?” Marie uttered in shock.

The four of them suddenly looked up at their voices. “Double D! We found you!” Ed cried in absolute joy, seeing Edd and running towards him with his arms outstretched.

“Ed! No no no, wait, wait, _wait_!” Edd cried, putting his hands in front of his face, not wanting to be touched by as dirty a fellow as Ed.

Ed, of course, didn’t listen, and wrapped up Edd into a bear hug. May happened to do the same to Marie, ignoring the middle Kanker sister’s cries of protest. However, the smarter individuals immediately noticed something off, namely Eddy and Lee. “Wait a sec,” Eddy said suspiciously as he approached Ed. “Ed, drop!”

Ed immediately complied, and that’s when he suddenly noticed Edd’s current condition. Before Edd could blink he found himself pinned to the ground by Ed, with a furious Eddy standing over him. “Who are you! What’ve you done with Double D? _!_ ” Ed demanded.

“Yeah, make like a canary and sing!” Eddy snapped.

“Hey! Who are you and what’ve you done with my sister?!” Lee demanded while May kept Marie pinned against the ground.

“I _am_ your sister, you dweebs! Lemme go!”

“Ed, release me at once! You don’t understand! We don’t have time for this!” Edd cried. “We have to prevent the end of the world!”

“What the heck are you talkin’ about? _!_ ” Eddy demanded.

“Look up.”

Eddy did so, and immediately all color drained from his face. There above them was the moon, leering dangerously close to the Clock Tower. Edd calculated it was a mere mile from the earth now. “HOLY GUACAMOLE, IS THAT THE _MOON_? _!_ ” Eddy screamed in horror upon seeing its terrifying face literally almost on top of them.

Lee, May, and Ed all noticed Eddy looking up and followed suit.

“JESUS CHRIST IN A GO-KART!” Lee screamed.

“OH MY GOSH! IT’S GONNA KILL US!” May shrieked, letting go of Marie in her shock.

“DOOM!” Ed yelled.

The Skull Kid finally spoke, gaping at them in shock. “Are you for _real_? _!_ I spent three days bringin’ this thing down, and you mean to tell me _you just now noticed it_? _!_ I can’t believe the _nerve_ of you people!”

“What are we gonna do what are we gonna do what are we gonna do?!” May shrieked in terror, tears coming to her eyes as she grabbed a hold of Lee.

“C-Calm down, May! H-have some dignity, will ya?!” Lee yelled back, trying to hide the fear evident in her own voice.

Suddenly the soft sound of music reverberated through the air, cutting through the horror and despair like a knife through butter. Everyone looked towards Link, who had a tuba with five different-sized heads and was playing a strange melody on it. “Ha!” the Skull Kid sneered. “Playing your own funeral music? Fat lot of good that’ll do…”

Skull Kid never finished his sentence, as there was a sudden blinding flash of light, and everything starting swirling around until it vanished into a white nothingness, the sound of clocks ticking all that could be heard as time began to reset itself.


	11. Of Masks And Time's Flow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Together again, the Eds and Kankers alongside Link and Tatl attempt to learn just what the hell is really going on in Termina.

**Chapter Eleven: Of Masks and Time’s Flow**

Edd found himself falling through a white void, wind whistling through his ears as images of clocks spinning the wrong way swirled around him. The same song Link had played, only this time sounding like it had come from an ocarina, echoed through the air as Edd continued to fall. _Is this it?_ Edd wondered. _Did we fail? Am I dead?_

Suddenly the whiteness of the void darkened into a dismal black, and Edd yelled in horror as he was consumed by the darkness.

XXXXXX

(Dawn of the First Day, 6:00 am, 72 hours remain)

“Ah!” Edd stated as his feet suddenly touched earth.

Everything started coming into focus. Marie had landed next to him, although not on her feet. With a pained groan, she dragged herself to her feet. Link, who had also landed on his feet, put his strange instrument away, amazed he had even come across it. Edd looked around. “Daylight?” he mused almost to himself. “Did…did we win?”

“What happened?” Tatl queried in confusion. “Everything has…started over…”

Indeed it had. The plaza of South Clock Town was crowded with people once again. The construction workers were busy working on the celebration tower in its earliest stages. The Postman was running his daily mail route. The sun was just starting to peek over the town walls.

“Hey! What about the moon? _!_ ” Marie said, immediately prompting them to look up.

There, high above the sky, exactly where it was positioned the first time they had seen it, was the moon. The maniacal face was still superimposed on its surface, but at least it wasn’t minutes from smashing the Clock Tower to bits. “I see now…” Edd stated, eyes wide. “I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but somehow, we have traveled back in time to when we first got here.”

“It…looks like it, but…” Link began.

“ _Time_!” Edd yelled, flinging his arms about. “We went back in _time_! This goes against all logic! The laws of physics have just been defied! That’s…impossible! How does that even work? _!_ ”

Tatl flitted in front of Link’s face. “That song you played…who _are_ you?”

“Sssh!” Marie suddenly said, putting her hand up to her earhole. “You guys hear that?”

“Hear what?” Link asked.

“…aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAGH!”

The four of them looked up just in time to see four figures crash on top of them, Eddy landing on Edd, May falling on Marie, Lee on Link, and Tatl barely avoided being flattened by Ed. The big lug looked up at the upset fairy and smiled like an idiot. “Hi there, pretty firefly!”

“Firefly? _!_ ” Tatl huffed. “I should clock you upside the head, you idiot!”

“Get offa me, May!” Marie protested, struggling under May’s bulk.

This, unfortunately, brought her sister to her senses, and held fast onto Marie, preventing her from moving. Lee jumped off of Link and strode over to them. Eddy, meanwhile, jumped off Edd and pointed at him. “Ed, get ‘im!”

Edd didn’t even have time to get up before he was pinned down once again by Ed. “Ow, Ed! Please let me go!”

“I have you now, foul beast!” Ed shouted while Eddy walked over and towered over Edd’s prone form.

“Alright buddy, time for ya to fess up!” Eddy growled. “Where’s Sockhead?”

“I _am_ Sockhead…uh, I mean, Double D!”

“Hah! Likely story.”

“Where’s our sister, ya freak? _!_ ” Lee demanded. “I swear to God, if she’s hurt in any way, I’ll pound ya like a nail!”

“You dweebs better let me go before I pound you _both_ like a nail!” Marie retorted, struggling against May.

“Hmph, don’t listen to it, May,” Lee stated, folding her arms.

“Guys, there’s no need for this…” Link tried to interrupt.

“Stay outta this, scarecrow!” Eddy shouted, glaring at Link.

“Shut yer pie hole!” Lee added.

“Hey, dorks! Let off of them, will you? _!_ ” Tatl suddenly shouted, swatting Eddy and Lee upside the head.

“Hey, watch the hair!” Lee shouted.

“Dorks? _Dorks_?” Eddy snarled. “Jeez, you’re just like Kevin!”

“Get off of them now! These really are the people you’re looking for, Edd and Marie! Now if you’d just shut up for a minute and let us explain…”

“Oh, we need a lot of explainin’ done, whatever you are!” Eddy retorted.

“Yeah!” Lee said. “First of all, where are we, who are you, and what the _hell_ is with that freaky moon ‘o’ yours? _!_ ”

XXXXXX

The door to the lower levels of the Clock Tower slowly opened up, allowing Edd, Link, and Marie to lead their still-hostile companions inside. “Back so soon?” a sudden, disturbingly sing-song inquired.

The Happy Mask Salesman promptly stepped out of the shadows, his hands clasped together. “Hey, wait a sec,” Eddy paused. “What’s this freak got to do with any of this?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t think we’re acquainted,” the salesman said politely. “I am the Happy Mask Salesman.”

“Huh, forgot us already?” Lee sneered, folding her arms.

“Yeah, even I know you, freak!” May added.

“Uh…who is this guy again?” Ed questioned, scratching his head.

The group collectively facepalmed. “Remember, Ed?” Eddy reminded his oafish friend. “Creepy-lookin’ guy we met three days ago?”

“Sorry, children, but I have no clue who you are,” the salesman apologized, overhearing the conversation before smiling at Link, Tatl, Marie, and Edd. “I do know you four, though. After all, we just met all of five minutes ago.”

“But it feels like three days to us!” May exclaimed, blinking in confusion.

“I see. You must be time-travelers then! No wonder you made it back so fast.”

“Wait wait wait,” Eddy interrupted. “They time-traveled?”

“ _We_ time-traveled?” Lee finished, astonished.

“Like Evil Tim? _!_ ” Ed exclaimed, a look of panic on his face.

The salesman ignored them as he addressed Link. “So, were you able to retrieve your precious items from that pesky little imp?”

“My ocarina? Yes, yes I was,” Link answered.

“I got my hat back, too,” Edd added, pointing to his beanie.

The salesman clapped his hands together, his smile widening. “Wonderful! Wonderful!”

“Ed, this guy’s nuts,” Eddy muttered. “They’re all nuts.”

The salesman turned around and walked back into the shadowy corner he had emerged from, and the sound of something heavy dragging across the floor penetrated their ears. The salesman pulled a comically-large piano that nearly stretched from wall to wall with three rows of keys out of the shadows and pulled up a chair. The Eds and Kankers all stared, mouths hanging open in utter shock. “Now Link, I want you to pay very close attention and play the song I am about to perform.”

The salesman cracked his fingers in preparation, wiggling all ten fingers in a dramatic fashion. Expecting a complex melody, Link almost panicked as he withdrew his strange five-headed tuba. However, to everyone’s surprise, the salesman began playing a slow, simple melody with only one finger. He then repeated it a second time. Ed started humming along as May commented, “It’s so pretty.” Lee, Marie, and Eddy just looked on with bored expressions. “Well, it’s not exactly Mozart, but…” Edd commented as well, rubbing his head.

Link began playing the strange melody on his instrument, and once he was finished, he started swaying on his feet as if drunk, moaning slightly. “It turned him into a zombie?” Ed asked, slightly frightened.

“Shh, it’s starting,” the salesman answered quietly. “Now their true shapes are restored.”

“Link, are you…” Edd began before he started feeling dizzy himself.

Marie was also wobbling unsteadily in place, and before anyone knew it, Link, Edd, and Marie all fell to the floor, their consciousness swirling out of focus as they descended into deep, quiet slumber.

XXXXXX

(First Day, 8:45 am, 69 hours, 15 minutes remain)

“I’m so booooooreed,” Ed whined.

“Wanna go out into town and do somethin’, Big Ed?” May asked hopefully, inching closer to Ed.

“Girl germs! Yucky, mushy girly-girl stuff!” Ed yelled, catapulting off the side rail into the water below, leaving May with a dejected look on her face.

“Hey, salesman guy!” Eddy commanded. “Play the theme from Night Court!”

The salesman smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of that song.”

“Alright, do the theme from Jaws!”

“Not familiar with that one either, I’m afraid.”

“Well, what the heck? _!_ What songs _do_ you know?”

“Well, there is one from where I come from. It’s an old lullaby passed down by the Royal Family of Hyrule. As I understand, it’s said to have mysterious powers.”

“Hmph, knock yerself out.”

The salesman nodded and returned to his place at the piano, wiggling his fingers in preparation before playing Zelda’s Lullaby. It was a slow, beautiful tune that filled the listeners with a warm, comfortable feeling, like they would be safe at home for now and always. “It’s so romantic,” May said dreamily, smiling at the music.

“Yeah, gives me plenty of ideas,” Lee smirked, glancing mischievously at Eddy.

The shortest Ed did not fail to notice this, and withdrew in terror. “Gah! Ed, move over, will ya!”

Eddy then leapt over the rail and joined Ed in the water, much to Lee’s amusement. The salesman just kept playing until he was finished, and looked over to see Link, Marie, and Edd all stirring awake. “Well, it’s about time you came to!” the salesman greeted.

“Uh…how long have we been out?” Marie grumbled, massaging her head.

“It’s about nine in the morning,” the salesman answered as the three of them got back to their feet.

“Marie! You’re okay!” May suddenly screamed with joy upon seeing her sister awake, running over to her and wrapping her up in a tight hug.

“Ack!” Marie squirmed as May cried happy tears into her shoulders. “Gah…wait…you guys know it’s me?”

“Yep,” Lee answered, walking over to them with a grin on her face, her arms folded as usual. “See fer yourself.”

Marie looked all over her arms and body, pinching her skin, touching her face and clothes, her joy rising. “I’m…me…! I’m human! Haha! I’m back to normal!”

She pumped her fist excitedly in the air before turning to Edd, who was similarly staring at his restored body in wonder. “Double D! You look like you!”

Edd suddenly found himself constricted by one of Marie’s hugs as she laughed in exhilaration, planting kisses all over his face. “Uh…it-it s-s-seems I h-have…” Edd blushed, glancing about frantically, not knowing what to do now that there was a Kanker latched onto him. “Er…w-where are Ed a-a-and Eddy?”

Lee smirked. “They decided to take a bath.”

“Double D? Double D?” came Ed’s voice from down below, followed by splashing sounds.

“Is he awake? Move over, ya big lug! Lemme through!”

Edd then saw his two friends running up the stairs, completely soaked from head to toe. “Double D! You’re awake!” Ed cried, running with his arms outstretched.

Marie saw him coming just in time to let go of Edd and dive to the side. Edd was then once more trapped in Ed’s dirty embrace, the germaphobic preteen protesting all the while. Finally the big lug let go of Edd, who brushed himself off as Eddy sheepishly approached. “Oh, uh, hey there, Double D,” Eddy began, looking down and shuffling his feet. “Uh, sorry about earlier…I…we…didn’t know.”

Edd laughed in relief, glad to see his friends again. “It’s okay, Eddy. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

Eddy glanced over at Tatl, who was hovering over Link as he approached the salesman. “The fairy told us everything,” he informed, glancing back at Edd. “It’s just…unreal.”

Eddy then glanced over at Link. “So that’s what he looks like, huh?” he asked.

“Kinda girly if ya ask me,” Lee noted, causing Eddy to run over to the side wall as far away from Lee as he could get.

Edd then happened to listen in on the conversation between Link and the salesman. “The song you just learned is the Song of Healing,” the salesman explained. “It’s an ancient melody from long ago that heals broken, troubled spirits and undoes the curses of the dark ones, turning them into usable masks.”

“Masks?” Edd queried.

“Yeah, look, Double D!” Ed exclaimed, bending down to pick something up and holding it up in front of his face. “This fell off your face when you fell asleep!”

Edd blinked in surprise. Ed was holding a wooden mask shaped to look like a Deku’s face. The eyes were somehow still glowing. “That’s a little disturbing…”

“By the way, Marie, this came off your face while you were out,” Lee said, holding up a Deku mask of her own for Marie to see.

Link looked at his own Deku mask in his hand. “The curse inflicted upon you by the Skull Kid has been contained within these masks,” the salesman continued. “I’m sure they will prove useful in the near future.”

“How’s that?” Marie questioned.

“When you put on the mask, it will transform you back into a Deku scrub. To change back, all you have to do is remove it from your face.”

“So it’s a transformation mask,” Link mused, inspecting his mask before stockpiling it in his inventory.

“Here ya go, Double D!” Ed said happily, holding the Deku mask towards Edd.

“Ah, no thanks, Ed,” Edd responded, holding up his hands and smiling. “I’ve had enough of this Deku business for now.”

“Wheeeee!” Ed cheered playfully, placing the mask over his face.

There was a blinding flash of light, followed by an extremely amusing sight. Ed, in a much smaller Deku form and a smaller (though still equally as dirty) jacket, danced around happily. Eddy, Lee, and May couldn’t stop themselves from laughing hysterically. “You can’t catch me, Eddy!” Ed yelled in a high-pitched version of his usual voice, catching his friend’s attention. “I’m the gingerbread man!”

“Why you little--!” Eddy yelled and began pursuing Ed around the room, Lee and May caught up in hysterical fits of laughter at the scene.

Edd shook his head in disbelief, Marie just standing next to him as she stared amused at the scene. “It’s as if they don’t have a care in the world,” Edd mused. He then turned his attention towards Link and said, “I have to say, link, you most certainly are full of surprises.”

Link turned towards him. “Huh? Oh…yeah,” he responded with an embarrassed laugh, scratching his head.

“What’s with that flute of yours anyway?” Marie asked. “How were you able to get us to time-travel? What was the deal with that song?”

Link brought it out for them to see. “Remember what I said earlier? This is the Ocarina of Time. It was a closely-guarded treasure of the Hyrulean Royal Family. Because I’m a good friend of the Princess, Zelda, it was entrusted to me for safekeeping. That song you heard me play was the Song of Time. It has a lot of mysterious powers, but the song’s never done something like this before. It even changed into a set of Deku pipes so I could play it! To this day I still don’t believe I fully understand the concept of this ocarina.”

“Do forgive me, children, but I must interrupt,” the salesman suddenly said, catching their attention. “I have held up my end of the bargain, and I’m afraid it’s time for you to hold up yours.”

Edd, Marie, and Link’s breath all caught in their throats. _The mask. We forgot to get the mask_! Edd thought frantically as he saw the salesman’s face lose its happy smile.

“Don’t tell me…” the salesman slowly said, his voice dangerously low. It was menacing enough that it caused everyone else in the room to stop what they were doing and look over at the salesman. “You did…get it back…didn’t you?”

Their shifty eyes were all the answers he needed. Before either Edd or Marie could react, they both found themselves hanging in the air by the salesman’s bare hands, an angry smile etched onto his features, a smile so deranged it distorted his facial muscle structure. He then began violently shaking the two of them, preventing them from acting in any way other than to cry out in surprise. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!” the salesman screeched.

“Whoa whoa, sir, there’s no need…” Link tried to say.

“Hey, you crazy psycho, that’s my sister!” Lee roared, starting forward.

“Let Double D go, ya freak!” Eddy yelled, actually putting his fear of Lee aside to leap to his friend’s defense.

But before either of them could reach the deranged salesman, he threw Edd and Marie to the ground and started writhing and clutching his head. Eddy and Lee helped them back onto their feet and collectively glared at the convulsing salesman. “Are you freakin’ _insane_? _!_ ” Marie yelled angrily, balling up her fists.

“You fools! You fools!” the salesman screeched. “Don’t you realize that something terrible will happen if you don’t get that mask back?!”

“Alright, I’ve had enough of this!” Edd declared furiously. “You need to explain to us _right now_ what is with that mask of yours!”

With that, the salesman seemed to calm down, his expression easing to a more neutral tone. “Very well. All of you, listen closely.”

The others took a wary step closer to him as he began. “The mask I am speaking of is called Majora’s Mask. It is an ancient item from long ago, containing a piece of the soul of Hyrule's greatest and most terrible Enemy.”

“Most terrible enemy?” Link repeated, his eyes widening.

“A deity fuelled by savagery and bloodlust. His hate for our world and those that live within it transcends time itself. Perhaps you remember the tale of how Hyrule was created, Link?”

“Yeah,” Link answered. “There were three Golden Goddesses who descended upon the chaos that was this world in its beginning form. Din, the Goddess of Power, carved out the earth’s shape with her bare hands. Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, poured the spirit of law into the world.”

Eddy yawned loudly. “Jeez, this is boring.”

Link ignored him. “And finally Farore, the Goddess of Courage, created all the living creatures to uphold Nayru’s laws and look after Din’s earth. Once they were done, they went back to the heavens and left a fraction of their collective power behind, which was the Triforce.”

“Right. But what if I told you that the three Golden Ones weren’t the only Gods of Hyrule?”

Link blinked in surprise. Noticing this, Edd and Marie immediately recognized this as significant. “I...know there were some...lesser gods. I don't remember their names, but...what do they have to do with this?” Link responded slowly.

“The Golden Three are not our only important gods. There were many others, including a particularly-important lesser trinity. One, whom you may know, was Hylia, the Goddess of Peace, who led the fight for the surface against the forces of evil during the Demon Wars long ago. But she was not alone in this task, for by her side was the original Hero Incarnate, Onigami, the God of War. And opposing them and all of creation was the primordial terror known in ancient scriptures as...Majora.”

“And...that mask...does it _belong_ to this 'Majora' guy?” Link interrupted, utter shock playing out across his face.

“Now, let me finish. When the Golden Goddesses created Hyrule, they did so using the chaotic void that existed before. But what you may not know was that the chaos was Majora's realm, and as the Golden Ones embraced life, change, and creation whereas Majora did not, against his wishes they descended into the void and shaped it to their desires, creating several worlds including Hyrule. In doing so they earned his undying hatred, and Majora swore that, if he could not destroy their new realm in retribution, he would instead turn their own creation against him just as they did. To this end, Majora used what little chaos remained to create the Dark World, and filled it with legions of foul demons. When he was ready, he unleashed them upon Hyrule, and the Demon Wars began."

By this time, the salesman had managed to capture even Eddy and Lee's attention, and Ed and Edd's expressions indicated how spellbound they were by the tale.

"The Golden Three could not intervene themselves, and so in their place, Hylia and Onigami rallied the many tribes and peoples of Hyrule against Majora's legions. After many years of war and bloodshed, Majora realized that he was nearing defeat. And so, shortly before the final battle in which the Dark God was conquered, he created the most powerful and dangerous artifact in our world apart from the divine Triforce itself. Into this mask, this facsimile of his twisted visage, he poured a part of his very soul. His cruelty, his malice, and his burning hatred for all life. In the final battle, Majora was defeated at the cost of Onigami's life, but even as he was imprisoned within his own Dark World deep beneath the Pyramid of Power, his greatest champion, Demise, whisked it away, ensuring that the agents of the Goddesses could not find it.

“Knowing that one day the demons would return, and with Onigami near death, he and Hylia chose to reincarnate themselves as mortal beings, souls who still walk the earth even to this day, protecting Hyrule from its many enemies.”

The salesman beamed at Link, and realization came to the young boy. “I...somehow this story seems... _familiar_.”

“That is because you are Oni's descendant, just as the Princess is Hylia's. The two of you were destined from the beginning to be the protectors of life.”

Link swallowed, taking in the information as best he could. Edd decided to speak up at this time. “So then, how did you get Majora’s Mask?”

“As it so happens, someone else found it first. A tribe of dark magic-wielders unearthed it and awakened the evil contained within. Majora manipulated them into making war with the people of Hyrule, but before they were banished by the Goddesses for their crimes, a handful of tribesmen who were aware of the mask's true nature hid it away once more. After many, _many_ years of searching, I was able to find it myself. I thought that kind of corrupted power was safe with me.” The man sighed. “It seems I was wrong.” He gazed imploringly at the gathered kids. “It exerts even more influence than I expected, drawing bitter or evil souls to its power. You _must_ get Majora’s Mask away from that Skull Kid. Many innocent souls will suffer if this is not done, including that poor child’s. Do you understand?”

Everyone nodded slowly, allowing the salesman to smile genially once more. “Now go. Time is not eternal, you know. Please make the most of it. I’ll be waiting…”

“Right,” Link said. “Come on, guys. Let’s get out of here.”


End file.
